On 8 December an informal meeting of members of the DIT Committee, Legal Committee and SME Committee was held with officials from the Intellectual Property Department and Commerce Industry and Technology Bureau to discuss the latest amendments to the Copyright Amendments (2006) Bill.

The HKCSI Competition Policy Expert Group met 11 December to discuss the government consultation paper on competition policy.

The Chairman of the HKCSI Travel/Tourism Committee hosted a lunch meeting with Commissioner for Tourism Ms Au King Chi on 13 December.

On 15 December Ms Charlotte Chow attended the Third China Tourism Forum organised jointly by the School of Hotel & Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the World Tourism Organization.

On 22 December, the division’s Senior Manager Charlotte Chow met with Mr Francis Ho, Deputy Director of the government Economic & Trade Office in Toronto to discuss the government annual career video conference

The December 2006 issue of the Servicing Economy Newsletter was published and distributed, with a theme on "Hong Kong and the Mainland".

On 6 November the government issued a consultation paper on competition policy, detailing a proposed competition law. The paper was introduced to the HKGCC General Committee at its meeting on 13 November. The GC directed that consultation be conducted among HKGCC members before formulating a response to the document.

The Financial Services Committee presented a seminar on hedge funds on 7 November, with three hedge fund experts explaining to the 40 members on the development of this dynamic financial service. Ms Alexa Lam of the Securities and Futures Exchange was also a speaker on the regulatory aspects of the industry.

The HKGCC is a supporting organization to the Asia Cultural Cooperation Forum organized by the Government on 8-12 November.

On 14 November the division presented a seminar on “Making technology work for financial executives”, with some 40 members attending to hear Microsoft Vice President for F&A Mr Claude Changarnier share his experience of using IT for financial administration and control.

On 17 November the Travel/Tourism Committee met with Deputy Commission for Tourism Ms Maisie Cheng to discuss major tourism policies and projects such as the new cruise terminal.

On 30 November the HKCSI hosted a meeting with Jeff Schott, Senior Fellow of the Institute for International Economics, to discuss progress of the Doha Round.

On 24 November, following consultation with the relevant Chamber Committees, the HKGCC’s response to the Bill on Unsolicited Electronic Mail (“spamming”) was submitted to the Chairman of the Bills Committee of the Legislative Council.

On 25 November members of the HKCSI Executive Committee conducted a half-day brainstorming on the role and future projects for the HKCSI.

The September 2006 issue of the Servicing Economy was published by the HKCSI and distributed. The theme of the issue was on financial services.

The Financial Services Committee met on 16 October with a team from the Hong Kong government led by Secretary for Financial Services and Treasury Mr Fred Ma to exchange views on strengthening Hong Kong's financial services sector in light of the nation's 11th five-year plan. The discussion was a follow up to the the Economic Summit of 11 September convened by the Chief Executive, with the aim of drawing up an action agenda by the end of the year. Other guests from the government included Deputy Secretary Mrs Sarah Kwok and Ms Julia Leung of the HK Monetary Aurhority, as well as Dr Ruby Zhu of the Central Policy Unit. Some members of the Chamber Economic Policy Committee also attended.

On 23 October Ms Charlotte Chow represented the HKGCC at the Intellectual Property Department cocktail to launch the business software certification programme and Reward Scheme to Combat Illegal Use of Software in Business Launching Ceremony, of which the HKGCC is a supporting organization.

With the help of the Financial Services Committee, the Chamber kicked off the first of the “Meet-the-Banker series” with Bank of East Asia Chairman the Hon David Li speaking to an audience of 150 on “Hong Kong Banks go National” on 5 September.

The Chamber Retail and Distribution Committee met on 11 September to discuss, among other things, policy issues such as Goods and Services Tax.

The Digital Information and Telecom Committee met on 19 September to review its work programme.

The HKCSI Executive Committee met on 21 September. Among other things, the HKCSI will organize another brainstorming session in December to determine the major projects to be undertaken.

On 15 August the Division presented another roundtable on how Basel II affects banks and their clients, with Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Deputy Chief Executive Mr William Ryback speaking to some 70 participants.

Dr W K Chan chaired a meeting on the government’s third-stage public-engagement on Kai Tak planning review on 15 August 2006. The meeting, attended by some 60 participants, was jointly organized with the Harbour Business Forum.

The annual HKCSI Statistics Card has been published and distributed. This year the publication date of this datacard has been brought forward by two months. The publication is sponsored by HSBC.

On 7 July Dr WK Chan attended the Consumer Rights Reporting Awards presentation ceremony organised by the Consumer Council. The event also included a lunch talk by an UNCTAD official Hassan Qaqaya on competition policy.

On 11-13 July WK Chan attended a mission of the Global Services Coalition in Geneva to meet with WTO officials and negotiators on the services negotiations. These meetings coincided with the “services cluster” of meetings among negotiators in Geneva.

The Coalition held a press conference and issued a press release following the series of meetings. The HKCSI’s participation in the mission was part-sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airways.

The government was conducting a consultancy study on the institutional framework and corporate governance for the administration of Internet domain names in Hong Kong. DIT Committee Vice Chairman Eric Chin represented the Chamber on 12 June at a focus group meeting convened by the government’s Office of the Chief Information Officer.

On 12 June a working meeting was held with Assistant Director General of Trade and Industry to discuss arrangement for the 2006 Hong Kong Awards for Industries, of which the Chamber is the leading organizer for the Innovation category. It was agreed that the Chamber would, as in the last round of the Awards, help organize the Award Presentation Dinner (to take place in February 2007) with Chamber Services Limited as event organizer.

Dr WK Chan attended a meeting of the TDC Professional Services Advisory Committee on 14 June.

A meeting of legal experts from the Legal and DIT committees was held on 23 June to discuss the provision for directors/partners liability under the Copyright Amendment (2006) Bill. Subsequent to the meeting, the Chamber issued a letter to the Commerce Industry and Technology Bureau setting out the Chamber’s position and calling for a clarification of wording in the draft Bill.

The DIT Committee met on 23 June to update on various policy issues and discuss the committee’s activities. A new chairman Mr Stephen Ng was elected to replace the outgoing Chairman Mr Jack So.

On 3 May an informal discussion was arranged between members of the DIT Committee and the Commerce Industry and Technology Bureau to discuss the consultation paper on the merger of the broadcasting and telecommunications authorities.

On 11 May the HKCSI Executive Committee met with Ms Rosanna Law of the Trade and Industry Department to discuss progress of the WTO negotiations on trade in services.

The Division assisted in organizing the joint Chamber and Microsoft luncheon with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on 23 May..

On 4 April the Travel/Tourism Committee held an informal lunch meeting with Tourism Commission Ms Eva Cheng to exchange views on tourism development.

On 7 April the CSI Creative Industries Working Group met with the Government Economist to discuss promotion of creative industries.

The Retail and Distribution Committee met on 21 April with the Planning Department to discuss pedestrianisation schemes in Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok.

The Financial Services Committee met on 26 April with Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Mr Kevin Ho to discuss the government initiatives to promote Hong Kong’s financial services industries, as outlined in the Financial Secretary’s Budget speech.

On 29 April the HKCSI joined the Global Services Network to issue a statement expressing regret over the missed deadlines in the Doha Development Agenda negotiations of the WTO.

The Division presented a roundtable luncheon on 10 March on “Enhancing the value of your brand in China”. More than 50 members joined to hear intellectual property expert Howard Tsang explain brand building in the Mainland.

On 11 March the Division helped coordinate the Hong Kong-Canada Career Video Conference 2006 hosted by the HK government Toronto Office.

After consultation among the Digital Information and Telecom Committee and other relevant committees, the Chamber’s response to proposals on legislating against spamming was submitted to the government on 20 March.

The HKCSI organized a mission to Beijing on 23 March, immediately following the Chamber China Committee delegation. The CSI group, led by HKCSI Chairman Mr Nick Brooke, visited and held meetings with the National Development and Reform Commission as well as the Macroeconomic Institute under the NDRC. The group also visited the “Financial Street” development near the NDRC.

On the evening of 22 March, Mr Brooke hosted an informal dinner with some present and former officials of the NDRC.

With sponsorship from the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau, another four issues of the “Servicing Economy” newsletter will be published by the HKCSI in 2006. The first issue, with a theme on innovation and technology, was published and distributed in end-March.

The HKCSI Executive Committee met on 9 February to review the progress of the WTO negotiations after the Ministerial Conference.

Following consultation with members of the Professional Services Committee, it was decided that the Committee should be put on “sleep mode” for the time being, and re-activated on an issues-basis.

On 17 January the Government Chief Information Officer Mr Howard Dickson led a team of officials to call on the Chamber and discuss the new “Digital 21” strategy being developed by the government. Mr Dickson’s team were received by Chamber CEO Dr Woon and senior members of the Chamber Digital Information and Telecom Committee.

The Travel/Tourism Committee met on 20 January with Mr Andrew Thomson of the Coalition on Sustainable Tourism to exchange views on “green” and heritage tourism.

Dr WK Chan spoke at a seminar organized by the Hong Kong Economics Association on “The WTO: A Post 6^th Ministerial Conference Reassessment of its Contribution and Development” on 21 January.

The Chamber, in cooperation with the Harbour Business Forum, is organizing a Harbour Roundtable Series. The first roundtable, held on 24 January with 70 participants, was focused on the development of the Wanchai waterfront. The second one was held on 14 February on Kai Tak development, with another 70 attending.

The Chamber team had a busy time during MC6 week organizing the Chamber’s participation as well as coordinating the lobbying work of the Global Services Network. Some highlights included:

• Jointing hosting a welcome cocktail reception for overseas business NGOs with Invest Hong Kong on 13 December, with a total of 140 people attending.
• Chairing a seminar organized by UNICE with WTO Director General Pascal Lamy on 14 December.
• Presenting a seminar on CEPA on 14 December.
• A forum of the Global Services Coalition on 15 December.
• A seminar of the Financial Leaders Group on 16 December.

Together with the GSC, the Chamber team met with numerous official delegations, including three trade ministers.

The Chamber contributed to and signed up to the following position papers during MC6:

• The UNICE paper agreed in November, which was officially presented to Mr Lamy on 14 December.
• A joint statement by the GSC on 15 December calling on progress of the services negotiations.
• A second joint statement of the GSC on 16 December expressing concern over the services text of the draft Declaration.
• A third GSC statement at the closing of MC6 welcoming the Hong Kong Declaration.

On the last day of the Ministerial Conference of the WTO on 18 December, the Chamber team led by Chamber CEO Dr Woon, were at the press centre throughout the evening, right after the draft final text of the Hong Kong Declaration was released. Besides talking to the press and attending briefings, the team including WK Chan, Charlotte Chow and Ruby Zhu, were in the convention centre to witness the closing of the event.

The Chamber’s participation is detailed in a daily first-hand “flash report” on the Chamber website (www.chamber.org.hk).

The Digital Information and Telecommunications Committee met 6 December with OFTA Deputy Director General Gracie Foo to discuss process of regulatory policies on telecommunications.

The December 2005 issue of the “Servicing Economy” Newsletter was published and distributed. The theme of the issue was on human resources..

Messrs Nick Brooke, Marshall Byres and Dr WK Chan, the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the HKCSI, received a delegation from the Competitiveness Institute on 8 November to discuss competitiveness issues especially in regard to Hong Kong’s professional services sectors.

The HKCSI joined 20 other organizations to sign on a statement on the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the WTO on 21 November. The statement was initiated by UNICE (European Federation of Business).

On 25 November Division head Dr WK Chan spoke to 2,000 students at a Chinese University New Asia College forum on WTO.

The Chamber’s pre-MC6 outreach programme included:

• The 2005 Business Summit, the Chamber’s main event of the year
• Numerous talks and interviews to the press by Dr WK Chan and Chamber CEO Dr Eden Woon.

The HKCSI submitted a letter to the Financial on 23 November calling attending to the role of the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation.

The Chamber is a supporting organization of the Telecoms Research Project conference on Broadband, Broadcast and Content on November 24. Members of the DIT committee attended.

On 5 October an informal meeting with the HKCSI, Economic Policy Committee and Transport/Shipping Committee was held to discuss the competitiveness of Hong Kong as an aviation center. Mr David Dodwell gave a presentation on his research, with SCMP’s Mr Russell Barling as commentator.

On 6 October an informal lunch meeting was held with secretary of the Poverty Commission Mrs Cherry Tse to discuss the economic aspect of the Commission’s work and its promotion of “social enterprises” to help the poor.

The CSI Executive Committee met on 14 October, mainly to review progress of the WTO negotiations and prepare for the Ministerial Conference.

The Chamber’s accredited representatives Dr WK Chan, Ms Charlotte Chow and Ms Ruby Zhu attended the NGO Forum on WTO Sixth Ministerial Conference (MC6) on 16 October. WTO Director General Pascal Lamy and Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce Trade and Technology Mr John Tsang were the keynote speakers, while Chamber CEO Dr Eden Woon was a commentator at the Forum.

As the Chamber’s WTO MC6 outreach programme, the following events were held during the month:

• a lecture on the WTO by Dr WK Chan, organized by the Hong Kong University General Education Unit on 20 October;
• a media workshop by Dr Chan for media reporters on 1 November;
• a workshop on “WTO basics” by Dr Chan for Chamber members on 14 November;
• a roundtable on the services negotiations of the WTO Doha Round on 15 November, with Dr WK Chan as speaker and Mr David Dodwell as commentator.

Dr WK Chan took part as a judging panel member in the Best Culinary Award organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board on 20 October.

The HKCSI Creative Industries Working Group convened a meeting with a team led by Mr PK Chiu, Director of Administration of the Hong Kong Baptist College, to discuss the government’s scheme for an Art Village in Shek Kip Mei on 24 October. The Baptist College is the government’s partner in developing the Art Village.

The Retail and Distribution Committee met on 26 October and exchanged views with the Customs and Excise Department on intellectual property rights enforcement in relation to the retail industry.

Mr Anthony Chan of ACESAP Marketing Services of Singapore called on Ms Charlotte Chow on 27 October to introduce a franchising portal.

Dr WK Chan met with Mr Peter Bartlett of the Australian Services Roundtable on 13 September to exchange views on the Doha negotiations and the Hong Kong Ministerial.

The HKCSI Chairman Mr Nick Brooke convened an informal meeting with some members of the financial services committee to discuss the role of the Mortgage Corporation on 14 September. It was agreed that the issue should continue to be followed up by the Financial Services Committee.

The Chamber’s registration as accredited NGO for the WTO Ministerial Conference has been completed. The Chamber’s representatives are, respectively, Dr Eden Woon, Charlotte Chow and Ruby Zhu, while Nick Brooke, Marshall Byres and WK Chan will be accredited under the name of HKCSI.

The HKCSI Creative Industries Working Group met with Mr Fong Ngai of the Home Affairs Bureau to discuss the government’s scheme for an Art Village in Shek Kip Mei on 21 September

Some of the Chamber’s representatives to MC6 attended a tea reception for NGO’s hosted by the Hong Kong government on 23 September.

Dr WK Chan represented HKCSI to the Global Services Coalition mission to Geneva on 27-28 September and took part in a series of meetings with WTO negotiators on the services negotiations under the Doha Round. The HKCSI participation was sponsored by Cathay Pacific.

After the meetings the GSC issued a statement calling for progress of the services talks. GSC representatives also agreed to coordinate a programme of action during the Ministerial.

A working meeting was held between the Chamber, InvestHK, TDC and the intercham on 22 August to coordinate events during the WTO Ministerial in December. The Chamber, InvestHK and TDC decided to jointly host a cocktail reception for business NGO’s, tentatively on 13 December.

A 80-member Chamber delegation visited the Ocean Park on 30 August to learn more about the park’s master plan for redevelopment. The HK$5.5 billion project, targeted to commence in 2006 and be completed in 2010, would aim to enhance the 29-year-old theme park and turn it into the world’s best marine-based attraction.   The Ocean Park hosted an informal lunch meeting for the Travel/Tourism Committee following the visit.

On 5 July the Chamber and HKCSI submitted a position paper on the Doha Development Agenda ahead of the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the WTO. The paper was timed to precede the Informal Ministerial Meeting of WTO ministers in Dalian on 12-14 July.

On 14 July Dr W K Chan attended a meeting in the government MC6 office to discuss arrangements for parallel programmes conducted by the business sector during MC6. The Chamber earlier initiated a joint effort with Invest Hong Kong to host a cocktail entitled Business@MC6 for business NGO’s participating in MC6. In view of the need to coordinate efforts, the cocktail might be held in conjunction with other business bodies such as TDC and Intercham.

The second Chamber WTO Roundtable on WTO Sixth Ministerial Conference (MC6) was held on 20 July, with Oxfam HK Executive Director Mr Chong Chan Yau explaining the agricultural negotiations of the WTO.

On 22 July 40 members attended a visit to Cathay Pacific City for a tour of its operations to find out what it takes to become the world's best airline. Members also visited Cathay Catering Services in-flight kitchen where 70% of all airline food that is loaded onto planes that land in Hong Kong is made.

The Division undertook preparation for the first of a series of Financial Services workshops spearheaded by the Financial Services Committee on various aspects of Hong Kong’s financial industry.

On 7 June a regular meeting of the Digital Information and Telecom Committee was held.

HKCSI Chairman Mr Nick Brooke and Secretary General Dr WK Chan attended the Forum on Trade in Services held in Shanghai on 8-10 June. Keynote speakers at the Forum included Minister of Commerce Mr Bo Xilai, Mayor of Shanghai Mr Han Zheng, Amb to the WTO Mr Sun Zhenyu, and Amb Alejandro Jara who chairs the trade in services negotiations.

The HKCSI took advantage of the Shanghai Forum to convene a meeting of the core members of the Global Services Network, including the US, EC, Sweden and Australia, to map out a strategy in the lead-up to the WTO ministerial conference in December.

On 21 June the Travel and Tourism Committee met with travel industry representatives such as the Travel Industry Council to discuss the travel industry’s wish list on CEPA III.

The Chamber expert group report on competition policy was submitted to the Financial Secretary (who is Chairman of the Competition Policy Advisory Group) on 22 June, from where it was forward to members of COMPAG.

On 24 June, subsequent to a meeting of the Global Services Network in Geneva with the WTO, a joint statement was issued calling for progress in the WTO talks on services. The HKCSI is a signatory to the statement.

On 10 May, Ms Charlotte Chow attended a press briefing organized by the Intellectual Property Department on its attitude survey on Hong Kong’s intellectual property rights protection.

On 23 May, at a meeting of the General Committee, the report of the HKCSI Expert Group on Competition Policy was endorsed.

On 25 May nearly 100 members attended the first of our WTO Roundtable series on “What WTO and MC6 mean to Hong Kong”, to hear Director General of Trade and Industry Mr Raymond Young.explain the relevance of the Doha Round and preparation for the Sixth Ministerial Conference. Mr David Dodwell was commentator.

On 19 April the HKCSI replied to a survey conducted by the International Trade Centre of UNCTAD on multilateral trade and the Doha Round.

On 22 April some ten members attended a discussion session with Assistant Director General for Trade and Industry Ms Rosanna Law to discuss the latest request/offer situation of the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) negotiations.

On 25 April Dr WK Chan attended a lunch presentation of the Macau government tourist office.

On 26 April more than 100 members attended a roundtable luncheon on procurement requirements of the soon-to-be-opened Disney Resort in Penny’s Bay.

On 27 April the HKCSI Expert Group on Competition Policy held its seventh meeting and endorsed the draft report of the Expert Group.

The HKCSI Executive Committee met on 28 April. Among other things, the Committee endorsed in principle the report submitted by the Competition Policy Expert Group.

On 8 March Ms Charlotte Chow met with Mr Mark Wood, Trade Commissioner and Ms Sally Lam, Business Development Manager of the Australian Trade Commission to discuss promotion of franchising.

On 9 March members of the HKCSI creative industries working group attended a sharing session on “nurturing HK’s innovative culture” hosted by the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology.

On 10 March a roundtable luncheon was held with 80 members listening to franchise lawyer Raymond Chan explain the new franchising regulations of the Mainland.

At the request of the government, the Division helped coordinate members of HKGCC committees to participate in an on-line survey on world competitiveness yearbook 2005.

On 21 March the Chamber submitted a paper to the Secretary for Commerce Industry and Technology on representation of the Hong Kong delegation in the WTO Ministerial. In the submission the Chamber called for business representatives to be appointed to the Hong Kong delegation during the sixth Ministerial Conference (MC6) of the WTO, in line with international best practice in multilateral negotiations.

In the same submission the Chamber also put forward our own “MC6 programme”. These proposals were subsequently discussed by the Director-General of Trade and Industry and the Chamber CEO on 13 April.

The Chamber is a supporting organization of the HK-Toronto-Vancouver career video conference organized by the HK government Economic & Trade Office of Toronto on 19 March. More than 300 students took part in the conference. The Chamber provided the moderator (Mr Eric Chin) and helped invite a few speakers for the event.

The Chamber is supporting organization of the TIF forum on health informatics held on 7 April. Members of the DIT Committee and the HKCSI healthcare services working group joined the forum.

The Chamber arranged a meeting between Director of Buildings and some Chamber members on 25 February to discuss issues related to building maintenance and illegal structures.

The Professional Services Committee met on 17 January with Trade Development Council to discuss promotion of professional services sectors.

HKCSI Secretary General Dr WK Chan attended the CEO Forum organised by the TDC in Guangzhou to promote Hong Kong professional services on 20 January. Chamber Chairman Mr Anthony Nightingale was a speaker at the Forum.

On 21 January an informal meeting was organised by the Financial Services Committee with the government to discuss the failed listing of the Link Reit (Real Estate Investment Trust). Members of the Real Estate/Infrastructure Committee also attended.

Heliport: On 25 January the Chamber submitted a paper to the Legislative Council on the development of heliport in the city.

On 27 January the HKCSI Executive Committee met to discuss preparation for the WTO Ministerial and other services policy issues.

On 28 January the Travel/Tourism Committee met with the Tourism Commission and members of the Transport/Shipping Committee to discuss development of the cruise business.

The HKCSI has sought agreement from the Commerce Industry and Technology Bureau to fund four further issues of the Servicing Economy Newsletter. The first issue, to be published in March, would feature urban planning as the theme.

Mr Wang hosted a “working dinner” for GSN members on 1 December. At the dinner, Mr Wang explained that a conference on services was being planned for June 2005.

Dr Chan met with Ambassador Manzoor Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the WTO, on 14 December and discussed progress of the WTO negotiations.

On 8 November Mr Stanley Ko and members of the HKCSI and China Committee members received a delegation from the National Development and Reform Commission and held discussion on the impact of CEPA on Hong Kong. The HKCSI was host organisation for the delegation visit, and arranged a number of visits for the delegation, including a meeting with the HKCSI Financial Services Committee on 12 November.

The Chamber delegation to South America set off on 9 November. The delegation brought with them the HKCSI position paper “Putting GATS back on track” to the APEC meetings.

On 10 November, after consultation with Digital Information and Telecommunications Committee members, the Chamber submitted its response on the government consultation on regulation of “spam” emails.

On 12 November Dr Chan and members of the Retail/Distribution Committee received a 30-member delegation from the China Chainstore and Franchise Association led by its President Mdm Guo Guoping.

On 20 November Dr Chan attended a seminar on development of think tanks organised by the Central Policy Unit, and presented the HKCSI’s proposal for turning the Penta Forum into “not just an event, but an institution”.

Dr Chan attended the “City to City Forum 2004” on 17 December as a commentator. The theme of the Forum was on “city branding”.

On 23 December Dr Chan and Ruby Zhu met with Michael Tung, Chairman of the Greater China Supply Chain Council to discuss the impact of CEPA.

On 12 October the Retail and Distribution Committee met and hear economist Peter Churchouse discuss the trend in retail rental.

Two “exploratory meetings” on healthcare services and creative industries were held on 13 October and 15 October respectively. In both meetings, participants agreed to form a working group to prepare for the formation of a committee in the respective areas under the HKCSI. The convenor of the working group on healthcare services is Mr David Dodwell, while Charles Mok chairs the working group on creative industries.

On 18 October the HKCSI Executive Committee met and discussed a wide range of subjects including the WTO Ministerial Conference and the way ahead for the Penta Forum. On the latter, the Committee approved a paper entitled “Not just an event, but an institution”, which proposed that the Penta Forum be strengthened to become a key element of the development of think-tank institutions. The paper was submitted to the Financial Secretary and the Head of CPU on 4 November.

On 28 October Dr Chan received a delegation from Wuxi and exchanged views on development of service industries.

On 10 September Dr Chan received a delegation of 30 officials from Guangzhou Dongshan District and gave a lecture on the development of service industries in Hong Kong.

More than 50 members attended a roundtable on heritage tourism on 10 September. The speaker was Duncan Pescod, Deputy Commissioner for Tourism.

On 24 September the Competition Policy Expert Group met and discussed possible alternatives to a competition law. On 8 October, members of the Expert Group held an informal meeting to exchange views with Mr Ron Cameron, former Head of Trade Practices of the Consumer Council.

The September issue of the Servicing Economy Newsletter was published and distributed. The theme of the issue was Hong Kong as an international financial centre.

The Travel/Tourism Committee met on 3 August to discuss issues facing the industry, including development of new tourism attractions.

At the invitation of the USCSI and the International Financial Services London, the HKCSI nominated two financial industry leaders from Hong Kong to join the Financial Leaders Group, namely, Mr Peter Wong of Standard Chartered Bank and Dr David Li of Bank of East Asia.

On 6 August Mr Jack So chaired the inaugural meeting of the Digital, Information and Telecommunications Committee formed from Information Services Committee and the e-committee. Members agreed on the Terms of Reference and the broad strategic direction for the Committee. It will be served by the Operations Division while the Business Policy Division provides support on policies.

The Financial Services Committee met on 20 August. Among other things, the Committee agreed to develop a “Hong Kong Financial Inc.” project to engage practitioners and users of Hong Kong’s financial services sector in a forum to address the promotion of Hong Kong as a leading financial services centre of the world.

The HKCSI Competition Policy Expert Group met on 14 July to discuss the case for a possible competition law for Hong Kong.

The HKCSI Executive Committee met on 15 July. The CSI agreed to establish two interest groups, one on healthcare services and the other on media, advertising and creative industries. Members also elected Mr Nick Brooke as Chairman and Mr Marshall Byres as Vice Chairman.

A roundtable luncheon sponsored by the Bank of East Asia on e-payment took place on 23 July, with some 60 members attending. This was the first of which was planned as a “banking series” initiated by the Financial Services Committee.

The Business Policy Division and Operations Division continued with preparation for the new Digital, Information and Telecommunications committee during the month. A pre-meeting with vice chairman of the committee Mr Daniel Lai was held on 26 July.

The Professional Services Committee met on 27 July to discuss capacity building to professional institutions in Hong Kong. The Committee elected Mr Bernard Hui as Chairman to succeed Mr Ian Robinson.

Following consultation with members of the Retail and Distribution Committee, the Chamber submitted its views on the consultation on prevention of avian flu on 16 June.

The Financial Services Committee has been compiling information on Hong Kong’s competitiveness as a financial centre, in preparation for a possible study. A working meeting was held between Dr Chan and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Committee on 18 June to consider and discuss the approach to the task ahead for the Committee.

The international CSI’s submitted a joint letter to the WTO on 25 June, urging for the resumption of the Doha round of WTO negotiations and emphasising the need to make progress in the services talks. A statement based on the joint letter was issued to the international media on 15 July. The HKCSI is signatory to both.

On 25 June Dr Chan and Operations Division Senior Director Dr YS Cheung called on General Committee member Mr Jack So to discuss merging of the Information Services Committee and the e-committee. It has been agreed that the newly formed Digital, Information and Telecommunications Committee will be chaired by Mr So and will come under the Operations Division.

Dr W K Chan attended a meeting of the TDC’s Professional Services Advisory Committee on 14 May.

Following consultation with the Real Estate Services Committee, the Chamber submitted its comments on the consultation paper on building management and maintenance on 18 May.

Division senior manager Charlotte Chow attended the China Chainstore Conference and the Asia Pacific Franchise Council Conference on 18-20 May.

On 27 May a joint meeting of the Real Estate Services Committee and the Real Estate/Infrastructure Committee was held. At the meeting members agreed, among other things, to combine the two committees, with the two current chairmen as joint chairpersons of the new Real Estate/Infrastructure Committee. The new committee will come under the Economic and Legislative Affairs Division.

The Real Estate Services Committee met on 21 April to discuss the government consultation paper on building maintenance.

An informal brainstorming meeting was held on 27 April with education and training service providers to explore the potential of education and training as a service sector.

The Professional Services Committee met on 9 March with representatives from the Project Management Institute Hong Kong Chapter to explore promotion of professional services.

The HKCSI Competition Policy Expert Group held its second meeting on 10 March and agreed on a work programme.

The Roundtable was held with Deputy Director of Planning Mrs Ava Ng on the Hong Kong 2030 Planning Vision and Strategy on 12 March. More than 40 members attended.

On 22-23 March, HKCSI Secretary General Dr WK Chan attended the Global Services Network delegation to Geneva to push for progress in the services negotiations to be re-launched under the Doha Round of WTO trade negotiations. The HKCSI trip was sponsored by Cathay Pacific.

The delegation comprised a total of 43 participants from 12 countries/economies. They held 13 meetings and a dinner with WTO officials and ambassadors and trade negotiators from 17 countries.

Besides the meetings with WTO negotiators, a press conference and an internal meeting of the Global Services Network’s core group were held. The GSN agreed, among other things, to send a letter to WTO members which have not yet submitted services liberalisation offers to urge them to do so.

The “Servicing Economy” Penta Forum was held on 9 February. A total of 109 academics, business people, officials, legislators and media editors took part in this high-level brainstorming organised by the HKCSI, the Business and Services Promotion Unit and the Hong Kong University. The topics this year’s morning forum included population policy, the way forward for CEPA, culture and entertainment, and export of healthcare services. The Financial Secretary Mr Henry Tang presided over an evening Forum at Government House.

A Roundtable Luncheon on Competition Policy was held on 11 February with Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Ms Sandra Lee as guest speaker to talk on the Guidelines on competition developed by the Government’s Competition Policy Advisory Group. A meeting of the newly formed HKCSI Expert Group on Competition Policy immediately followed. The expert group elected Stanley Ko and Convenor and Ian Robinson as Deputy Convenor.

The Financial Services Committee met on 13 February with CLSA analyst Dominic Chan giving his view on the outlook for the banking industry. The Committee also discussed a possible benchmarking study on Hong Kong as a financial centre.

HKCSI Secretary General Dr WK Chan met Mdm Sze Kangmei, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Association of International Services Trade on 20 February to discuss a possible World Services Congress in Shanghai.

Dr W K Chan attended the Professional Services Advisory Committee of the Trade Development Council on 24 February.

Dr W K Chan met with UK Law Society President Peter Williamson and International Head Alison Hook of on 15 January to discuss CEPA implications for foreign law firms and liberalisation of trade in services under GATS.

The Division took part in a consultative meeting by the Government Economist with the Chamber on their China outlook assessment on 20 January.

Dr W K Chan met with Peter Thompson, Deputy Head of the EU’s Delegation to Geneva, on 29 January to discuss the Doha Round of the WTO.

The 2003 HKCSI Statistical Card was published and distributed. The production of the data card was sponsored by Hongkong Bank.

The December issue of the “Servicing Economy Newsletter” was published and distributed. The theme was on producer and professional services.

The HKCSI Executive Committee met on 17 December to discuss the progress of the WTO Doha Round and the HKCSI’s programme for 2004.

On 19 November the Information Services Committee met with Deputy Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology Mrs Betty Fung to discuss the “Digital 21” consultation paper. A Chamber response was formulated and submitted to the government on 10 December.

The HKCSI and TDC jointly hosted a meeting with universities and other interested parties to discuss export of education services on 20 November. A possible research study is now being developed.

On 27 November Ms Charlotte Chow met with representatives of the Modernized Chinese Medicine International Association on government proposals to revise the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance to regulate health claims. The Chamber Retail Distribution Committee is being consulted on these proposals.

On 27 November the Information Services Committee jointly hosted a Chamber happy hour with the e-committee.

On 10 October Ms Charlotte Chow attended the Hong Kong Convention Exhibition and Corporate Events Marketing Forum convened by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

The Chamber is a supporting organisation of the Telecoms InfoTechnology Forum on “Putting the Service into Broadband” on 14 October. Members of the Information Services Committee attended the Forum.

The CSI’s around the world issued a joint statement on 29 October calling on the Doha round of WTO negotiations to resume. HKCSI was an initiator and one of the signatories.

The September 2003 issue of the "Servicing Economy" newsletter, with a theme on education and knowledge industries, was published and distributed.

On 22 September Dr WK Chan and Ms Charlotte Chow met with Mr Anthony Concil of IATA to discuss possible cooperation to organise a seminar on privatisation of the Hong Kong airport.

The Financial Services Committee met on 22 September to discuss CEPA and the financial services industries, among other subjects.

On 29 September the HKCSI organised a brainstorming discussion on Hong Kong’s education sector as a service industry.

On 8 August HKCSI Executive Committee members Tony Au and Jane Lee attended a brainstorming meeting convened by the Trade Development Council to discuss the potential for export of Hong Kong’s education services.

On 12 August the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee Mr Adrian Li hosted a lunch with Committee Vice Chairman David Dodwell and former Chairman David Ruan, as well as Dr WK Chan, to discuss the plan for the committee.

On 25 August, more than 100 members attended a roundtable luncheon on Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) to hear representatives from the Securities and Futures Commission and Deutsche Bank shared their views on the operation and implications of REITs for the real estate sector, investment houses and individual investors.

The Travel/Tourism Committee met on 29 August to discuss CEPA and the travel industry. Members suggested areas for future negotiations. Members felt that in view of the increased individual visitors from the Mainland, monitoring of unlicensed tour guides should be stepped up.

On 9 July the Information Services Committee met with Mr Edward Whitehorn of the Office of Telecommunications Authority to discuss competition in telecommunications.

In anticipation of the WTO Cancun Ministerial in September, for which the HKCSI has registered as an accreditted NGO, Dr W K Chan called on the Mexican Consul General on 10 July to discuss preparation for HKCSI’s participation.

The HKCSI Professional Services Committee met on 14 July with Chairman of the Coalition of Professional Services Mr CY Leung to discuss promotion of Hong Kong’s professional services in light of CEPA.

Based on the HKCSI report “To be the Services Metropolis of the Pearl River Delta – A Blueprint for Hong Kong”, a leaflet to promote HK-PRD integration has been produced and is being distributed.

The HKCSI has been approached by the Business and Services Promotion Unit and the Beijing Office of the Hong Kong government on possible cooperation on a seminar to promote service industries in Fujian Province in the summer.

The June 2003 issue of the “Servicing Economy” newsletter, with a theme on creative industries, was published and distributed. The Newsletter is published by the HKCSI with sponsorship from the Business and Services Promotion Unit.

On 18 June HKCSI Manager Thinex Shek attended a meeting convened by the Hong Kong government Beijing Office on the Hong Kong-Fujian Week, due to be held in August.

On 19 June the Real Estate Services Committee met with representatives from the Estate Agents Authority and the Hong Kong Association of Property Management to discuss regulation of estate agency businesses and practices in property management post-SARS. The Committee elected Mr Kyran Sze as Chairman.

The Financial Services Committee met on 25 June with Mr Michael Spencer of Deutsche Bank on the subject of the dollar peg. The Committee also elected Mr Adrian Li as new Chairman and Mr David Dodwell as Vice Chairman.

The HKCSI Executive Committee met on 26 June. Among other things, the Committee agreed to begin a study project on promoting education services.

The core group of the Travel/Tourism Committee met on 12 May to continue discussion about the post-SARS re-launch campaign for Hong Kong.

The HKCSI presented a seminar on promotion of professional services on 7 April, which saw some 60 people attending. Speakers included the Hon PC Lau from the Coalition of Profession Services, the Trade Development Council, the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the Business and Services Promotion Unit.

On 9 April Travel/Tourism Committee Chairman Mr Alan Wong convened an informal lunch to discuss issues for the Committee. This was followed by a meeting of the Committee on 14 April to discuss the effect of atypical pneumonia on the travel and tourism industry. The meeting was also joined by members of the Chamber’s Economic Policy Committee.

The HKCSI appointed Adrian Li of the Financial Services Committee as the HKCSI representative on the board of the HKANA.

The Real Estate Services Committee met on 19 March to discuss government’s proposed reform of the small house policy. Guests included Heung Yee Kuk member Mr Daniel Heung and Gary Yeung of Housing Planning and Lands Bureau.

On 21 March the Division presented a roundtable luncheon on the new Land Titles Bill with Land Registrar Kim Salkeld as speaker. The event attracted some 30 participants.

The HKCSI Executive Committee met on 27 March to review the services promotion programme, the Doha Round of the WTO negotiations, as well as the CSI’s work programme for 2003.

The Information Services Committee met on 27 January to hear Mr MH Au, Senior Assistant Director of OFTA talk on the China Telecom pricing changes. Dr John Ure of Hong Kong University was also invited to speak on the development of mobile services.

The HKCSI is supporting organisation of the Course on Service Management – A Case Study Approach, a programme of talks organised by the City University and HK Economic Times from October. The programme concluded in December.

The Chamber Retail and Distribution Committee met on 9 January. Members heard two presentations, respectively, by with Consumer Council Chief Executive Mrs Pamela Chan on consumer protection, and Hong Kong Land Executive Director Raymond Chow on rejuvenating Central Business District.

A seminar on "The Housing Market - What Lies Ahead" was held on 11 December, with two expert panels on 'housing prices, government policy and the economy' and 'outlook for the 2003 housing market' respectively. Some 70 members attended.

The Professional Services Committee met on 28 November. The theme was on promotion of professional services. All the major promotional agencies sent representatives to the meeting, including the Coalition of Professional Services, the government Business and Services Promotion Unit, the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the Trade Development Council.

The Chamber is co-organiser of the Conference on Customer Services presented by CLP Power on 11 November. The event was attended by over 400 participants.

On 12 November HKCSI Chairman Stanley Ko attended the "Hong Kong Plus - Your New Business Advantage" forum organised by the Trade Development Council and made a presentation on Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta integration in the service industries.

On 12 November a lunch meeting was held by the Travel Tourism core group to discuss the major tasks ahead for the committee.

On 23 October a meeting was organised with Mr Tony Michell, a heritage expert from Euro-Asian Heritage Development Co Ltd to discuss heritage tourism.

On 18 September Dr WK Chan attended a meeting with the Home Affairs Bureau to discuss the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District.

On 19 September Dr W K Chan met with Prof Mu Haiping from the State Development Planning Commission.

On 20 September Dr W K Chan and Eva Chow attended a meeting of the Trade Policy Review Mechanism of the WTO at the Trade Department.

The HKCSI was a supporting organisation of the "Modern Service Sector" Exhibition organised by the Shanghai Association of International Services Trade in Shanghai on 18-21 September.

On 5 September HKCSI Secretary General Dr WK Chan met with Mr Pascal Kerneis, Managing Director of the European Services Forum, to discuss progress of multilateral trade liberalisation. Later in the day, HKCSI Chairman Mr Stanley Ko hosted a lunch for Mr Kerneis, together with some members of the HKCSI Executive Committee.

Mr Nick Brooke represented the HKCSI as a commentator in a seminar organised by the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade on 9 September on "Opening up of the Service Industry to Foreign Investors" in Xiamen.

The Chamber, represented by HKCSI Information Services Committee Chairman Ms Cindy Cheng, was a co-organiser with the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) of a 2-day workshop on 10-11 September on "Bridging the Gap - Development of Mobile Multi-media, Value-added and Content Applications in the New Era".

Mr Denis Lee represented the HKCSI at the Conference on Transport Planning and Development for a Competitive Hong Kong-Macao-Pearl River Delta Region on 12-14 September, organised by the Hong Kong University and the Guangdong government in Guangzhou.

On 9 August Dr W K Chan received Ms Jane Drake-Brockman and Prof Christopher Findlay of Australian Services Roundtable, which has replaced the Australian CSI as the private sector focal point for multilateral services policy in Australia.

On 14 August the Real Estate Services Committee met with Mr Kenny Fok of the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation to discuss the role of the Corporation in the real estate and financial markets.

On 19 July HKCSI Chairman Stanley Ko submitted a letter to the Financial Secretary Mr Antony Leung highlighting a few policy issues on promotion of services.

The HKCSI study group on Hong Kong-Pearl River Delta Integration held another brainstorming meeting on 22 July. A one-day trip to Guangzhou was organised on 8 August with seven members participating. The group was hosted by Pearl River Hang Cheong Real Estate Consultants and conducted a whirlwind tour of a few service industries including wholesale distribution, retail, franchise and real estate agency. A round-up brainstorming meeting was held on 9 August.

The services negotiations of the Doha Round was the subject of a roundtable with Ms Rosanna Law, Assistant Director General of Trade and Industry, on 3 July.

The HKCSI study group on Hong Kong-Pearl River Delta Integration held further brainstorming meetings on 25 June (trade, distribution, transport and logistics), 27 June (retail and environment), and 28 June (industries and producer services). A round-up brainstorming was held on 3 July.

Over the month the HKCSI entered into final preparation for the annual CSI mission to Beijing scheduled for 16 and 17 July.

The Information Services Committee met on 13 June with OFTA Senior Assistant Director Mr MH Au, who gave a presentation on current development in mobile telecom services. The Committee also elected Ms Cindy Cheng as Chairman upon Mr Tony Au stepping down from the chair.

An HKCSI study group on Hong Kong/Pearl River Delta integration was established and its work plan was formulated.

The HKCSI organised a Service Industries Forum on 30 May as part of the "Shangdong-Hong Kong Week" programme presented by the HKSAR Government and the Shandong government in Jinan. An 11-member delegation from the HKCSI led by Mr George Leung attended the Forum. In preparation for the Forum, the HKCSI received a 10-member media group from Shandong on 17 May.

On 17 May HKCSI Secretary General Dr WK Chan met and discussed with Rosanna Law and Siu Lik King of the Trade and Industry Department the progress of the services negotiation of the WTO Doha Round.

The Doha Round was the subject of a Global Dimensions Lecture at the Hong Kong University by WTO Director General Designate Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi on 21 May. Dr Eden Woon was discussant following Dr Supachai's speech.

The HKCSI study group on Hong Kong-Pearl River Delta Integration held its first meeting on 23 May. A series of brainstorming sessions were then held, respectively, on 31 May on financial services and professional services; on 5 June on tourism and culture; and on 10 June on education and social welfare.

The HKCSI received a delegation from the Shanghai Association of International Services Trade on 31 May. The HKCSI is a supporting organisation of the "Modern Service Sector" Exhibition organisation by the Association in Shanghai in September.

The HKCSI submitted its comments on the government consultation on abolition of corporate directors on 29 April.

On 27 March HKCSI Chairman Mr Stanley Ko met with Mr Hu Jingyan, Director General of Foreign Investment Administration of Moftec.

On 28 March HKCSI Executive Committee met to discuss the Coalition's programme and future strategy.

On 4 March the HKCSI Executive Committee continued its brainstorming dinner to chart a way forward for the CSI.

On 5 February the HKCSI Executive Committee held a brainstorming dinner to discuss the major issues confronting public economic policy.

Dr WK Chan and Chamber Vice Chairman Dr Lily Chiang called on Deputy Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting Mr Alan Siu on 26 February to discuss the government Services Promotion Programme on turning Hong Kong into a digital entertainment centre.