“Services 2000”

1. To promote to the community the importance of liberalising trade in the services sectors especially in light of the impending trade negotiations under the World Trade Organisation, which are expected to begin in the year 2000.
2. To communicate to the business community some of the preliminary results of the “Services 2000” study being undertaken by the HKCSI.
3. To bring in overseas experts and high-level speakers to share their views on critical issues confronting the business sector in liberalising trade in services.
4. To promote to the business community the World Services Congress and to encourage participation.

What is “Services 2000”

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has decided that another round of negotiations on liberalization of trade in services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) should be launched before 31 December 1999. This means the substantive negotiations will commence in the year 2000. This has now become known as the “Round 2000” negotiations for services, or simply “Services 2000”.

Hong Kong is a member of the WTO since 1986. To prepare for the year 2000 negotiations, the Hong Kong Coalition of Service Industries has launched a major study to communicate to the business sector the importance of GATS; to explore business opportunities arising from GATS; and to develop a private sector “wish list” on the issues they like to address for Services 2000.

Coalition of Service Industries Inc

The “Services 2000” project is financed by the Services Support Fund of HKSAR Government Industry Department

Opportunities from Liberalisation of Trade in Services

Date: 26 August 1999 (Thursday)

Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Venue: Conrad International Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong

Conference Chairmen

Mr Anthony Griffiths, Managing Director, GML Ltd ; Vice Chairman, HKCSI

Mr KC Kwok, Chief Economist, Standard Chartered Bank ; Vice Chairman, HKCSI

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Programme

0900 – 0930 Registration

0930 – 1000 Session 1: Opening Session

¨ Mr CC Tung, Chairman, HK General Chamber of Commerce

¨ Mr Brian Chau, Secretary for Trade and Industry (invited), HKSAR Government

1000 – 1100 Session 2: The challenge of the GATS

What is GATS, and why it is important for Hong Kong - Mr Michael Stone, Deputy Head of HKSAR Geneva Office

The past, present and future of GATS - ¨ Mr David Hartridge, Director for Services, WTO

1100 – 1130 Coffee break

1130 – 1230 Session 3: Services liberalisation: Key issues for the next round

The main issues of contention

The challenge of electronic commerce to the GATS

¨ Mr Claude Barfield, Resident Scholar and Director of Trade and Science and Technology Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute

1230 – 1430 Session 4: Luncheon

¨ Mr Anthony Nightingale, Chairman, Jardine Pacific Ltd, (to be confirmed)

1430 – 1530 Session 5: “Services 2000” Hong Kong

¨ Dr Anming Zhang, Head of the “Services 2000” research team,

City University of Hong Kong

Discussant:

¨ Mr David Dodwell, Executive Director, Forrest International

1530 – 1630 Session 6: Mainland China’s accession to the WTO

¨ Mr KY Tang, HKSAR Government Economist (to be confirmed)

1630 – 1700 Session 7: Conclusion: Where do we go from here