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Hong Kong on its way towards global digital city
20 - 09 - 2001
Government officials, professionals, academics and entrepreneurs
in the Mainland were introduced with the information technology
(IT) strategy of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Government (HKSARG) in a forum held in Guangzhou today (September
20).
Speaking at the "Forum on Digital City in 21st Century" held
in Guangzhou today, the Acting Director of Information Technology
Services, Mr Cheng Yan-chee, told his audience that the HKSARG
first promulgated its IT strategy, the Digital 21 Strategy,
in 1998.
The objective of the strategy was to develop Hong Kong as a
leading digital city in the globally connected world so as to
retain Hong Kong's competitive edge and to drive its overall
economic expansion.
"Most of the planned initiatives of the 1998 Digital 21 Strategy
had been successfully completed with significant achievements,"
said Mr Cheng.
"Hong Kong has one of the best telecommunications infrastructure
in the world and our mobile penetration rate, which is about
80 per cent, is one of the world's highest.
"Our broadband network has covered practically all commercial
buildings and over 95 per cent of households. Besides, the Internet
penetration rate is the highest in Asia and among the top 10
in the world.
"We have a high utilisation rate of smart card technology with
more than seven million in use," he said.
In order to update and revise the strategy to keep pace with
the ever-changing technological landscape, the HKSARG published
in May this year the 2001 Digital 21 Strategy.
With the theme of "Connecting the World", the revised strategy
aims at building on Hong Kong's early success in establishing
a solid foundation for the use of IT to position Hong Kong as
a leading e-business community and a global digital city.
"We have successfully developed the necessary infrastructure
for conducting e-business, including telecommunications infrastructure,
regulations and legislation, public key infrastructure and certification
authorities," said Mr Cheng.
"We will continue to enhance our world class e-business infrastructure.
"We will also review within this year the Electronic Transactions
Ordinance enacted in early 2000 to ensure that our legal framework
for e-business is up-to-date.
"To enhance our competitiveness in the information economy,
we will continue to encourage the adoption of e-business in
the business community and the industry," he said.
Mr Cheng noted that the HKSARG will organise awareness seminars
and exhibitions targeting business on a sector specific basis.
To develop an efficient and effective e-government, the HKSARG
is committed to leading by example in the use of e-business.
"We provide e-option for public services amenable to the electronic
mode of service delivery. Currently, 65 per cent of such services
have already had an e-option. Our target is to increase this
to 90 per cent by end 2003."
Under the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Scheme, the Hong
Kong community can obtain a wide range of services from various
government departments and agencies through the Internet or
public kiosks.
Mr Cheng said the Government would continue to roll out more
ESD applications. With the development of ESD, Hong Kong has
been branded as "a platform for a glimpse of the possibilities
of e-government in Asia".
To improve the IT awareness and knowledge of the community,
the HKSARG has implemented a series of activities including
the provision of public computer facilities and the launching
of IT appreciation programme.
In the exploitation of enabling technologies, the HKSARG will
replace the existing Hong Kong citizen's identity (ID) cards
with a new generation of "smart" ID cards from 2003 onwards.
A high speed link will be established between the Hong Kong
tertiary institutions and the network of the next generation
Internet technologies. The HKSARG will also promote and facilitate
research and development work on advanced and multi-media applications
through the link.
- ENDS -
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