ENG-2005 — Page 329

Transport | 283

'Logistics Hong Kong' Initiatives

The policy objective of the Government is to maintain and strengthen the role of Hong Kong as the preferred international transport and logistics hub in Asia.

The Government provides the necessary infrastructure and an environment conducive to the development of the logistics sector. It also promotes closer cooperation with the Mainland, in particular, the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region to achieve synergies in logistics development.

The Hong Kong Logistics Development Council, chaired by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, provides a forum for the private and public sectors to foster logistics development with a view to strengthening Hong Kong's status as the leading logistics hub in Asia. Five project groups have been set up under the council to develop and implement work programmes for physical infrastructure, information connectivity, human resource development, support for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and marketing and promotion.

In December, with the support of the council, the Government launched the Digital Trade and Transportation Network System, an open and neutral e-platform to enable participants in the supply chain to exchange information and data. The council also advocates the development of the Lantau Logistics Park which will provide modern, purpose-built logistics facilities in a secure operating environment for the efficient delivery of customised and integrated services.

The council worked closely with the logistics sector during the year to upgrade the quality of the workforce by encouraging training institutes to organise tailor- made courses for logistics industry employees. It also organised roadshows at secondary schools to promote awareness among students of the development of the logistics sector and the employment opportunities it offered. Seminars were also held to update logistics SMEs on the latest trends and technologies in the industry. In September, a council delegation, led by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, toured Italy, France and Spain promoting Hong Kong's logistics strengths.

The council maintained a keen interest in the Government's continued discussions with the Guangdong authorities on measures to reduce cross-boundary trucking costs. These measures include the relaxation of the 'four-up-four-down' and the 'one-truck-one-driver' rules, as well as the extension of the validity period of Hong Kong-Guangdong joint-venture transport contracts and the extension of operating hours of control points at Jiangmen, Huangcun, Fenggang, Changan and Taiping.

Civil Aviation

Hong Kong is a major international and regional aviation centre. The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is one of the busiest airports in the world. At the end of 2005, there were 79 scheduled airlines serving Hong Kong. These airlines together operated about 5 200 weekly scheduled flights between Hong Kong and some 156 cities worldwide. In addition, an average of about 31 non-scheduled flights were operated to and from HKIA each week.