SITB calls for HK, Ireland partnership in IT development

August 1, 2000

With the rapid development of IT in the Asia Pacific Region, in particular that in the Mainland of China, Hong Kong is taking active initiatives to maintain its competitiveness and to exploit new opportunities in the electronic commerce market.

The HKSAR Government is also fully committed to providing a conducive environment and the necessary infrastructure for its enterprises to thrive.

"We will continue to upkeep our basic fundamentals and our success formula by maintaining the rule of law, a level playing field, a clean and efficient government and the free flow of information," the Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting, Mrs Carrie Yau, said during a business luncheon hosted by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Brussels) in Dublin, Ireland, today (August 1).

She told the participants that Hong Kong and Ireland could partner together to capture the market niche so that both territories could prosper in the IT world.

Noting that e-commerce would continue to be the focus of the new economy, she believed that demands for essential software such as those for customer relationship management, supply chain management, and enterprise resource planning were bound to be huge.

"I understand that the software industry in Ireland, particularly Dublin, which is the home for many reputable Irish IT corporations, is firmly established and plays an important role in the European market.

"The industries in both places can partner together to develop and market these intellectual products. Besides, the Mainland of China will soon enter into the WTO and this will open up yet another, perhaps the most promising, market in the coming decade for Irish IT industry.

'Hong Kong, being the Mainland's traditional springboard for foreign investors, will therefore further become an indispensable partner for Ireland, and indeed for all other places in the world.

"I believe that our partnership in IT development will not only help us reap the business opportunities in the information world, but also help improve the quality of living of the global community," Mrs Yau said.

She also shared with the gathering HK's strengths in promoting the development of the Internet, e-commerce, telecommunications and IT, including the construction of a Cyberport.

On IT education and manpower training, Mrs Yau said the HKSAR Government had launched a five-year strategy on "Information Technology for Learning in a New Era" to ensure a stable supply of quality manpower to sustain the development of its IT industry.

In addition, there are at present nearly 20,000 (or 25%) full-time degree-level students studying in IT-related field; around 17,000 sub-degree level IT places to provide the necessary IT manpower; and retraining programs to provide basic IT courses to school leavers and the unemployed.

As IT has become an indispensable element in the daily lives of Hong Kong's people, Mrs Yau said that over one-third, or 2.5 million, of the local population were Internet users. She cited statistics to show that Internet traffic doubled from 5.3 billion minutes in 1998 to 11 billion minutes in 1999.

"To promote the wider use of IT, the HKSAR Government has implemented a wide range of measures, which include the provision of computers, Internet and electronic mail services at community halls, post offices and libraries for use by the public free of charge. This substantially increases the opportunities for the public to learn and experience how IT could benefit them in their daily lives," she added.

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