Forum to drive software industry development in HK and Pearl River Delta

Over 200 government officials and software industry representatives from the Mainland China and Hong Kong participated in the Pearl River Delta Software Industry Forum 2003 to explore cooperation between the software industries of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and Hong Kong.

The one-day forum was organised by the Hong Kong Computer Society, with the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau as co-organiser, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre today (August 12).

Officiating at the forum, the Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology (Communications and Technology), Mr Francis Ho, called on the software industries of the PRD and Hong Kong to join hands to explore overseas markets and expand business opportunities with their complementary competitive advantages.

The President of the Hong Kong Computer Society, Mr Daniel Lai, believed that the forum provided an excellent opportunity for information industry executives and professionals to share their experiences and explore opportunities in co-operation and collaboration.

"As an advance user of information systems, and having extensive experience in the development and deployment of computer applications, access to the latest technology, entrepreneurial spirit, and an active and sound capital market; Hong Kong can play a key complementary role within the PRD Region to develop the information industry, riding on the abundance of competent IT professionals and potential market in the Mainland," Mr Lai added.

Also speaking at the forum, the Director General of the Department of Electronics and IT Products of the Ministry of Information Industry, Ms Zhang Qi, shared her views on the outlook of the development of the Mainland software industry with the participants, while the Director of the Guangdong Provincial Information Industry Department, Mr Xu Zhibiao, addressed on the direction and strategy for the development of Guangdong's software industry.

Speakers from the Mainland software industry gave a comprehensive account to their Hong Kong counterparts the current market situation and prospects of the Mainland software industry and shared their views on the challenges facing the industry when exploring international markets.

Panelists and participants also had exciting discussions on cross-border activities of PRD software companies as well as government's role in the driving software industry development and the related policies.

The forum had attracted not only enthusiastic participation from the local software industry, but also over 100 officials and industry representatives from Beijing, as well as PRD cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Foshan, and Nanhai.

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

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