4 Sept 2010
Ukrainian President, on China Tour, Visits Hong Kong
High-Level Business Delegation Seeks Investment, Promises Stability
The President, in his first formal state visit to Hong Kong, was speaking at a business luncheon hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). With the President was a large contingent of senior Ukrainian government and business leaders. They included Minister for Foreign Affairs Kostyantyn Gryshchenko and Minister of Fuel and Energy Yurii Boiko.
The Ukrainian delegation, which arrived in Hong Kong yesterday from Beijing, is on a five-day China tour to promote business and trade opportunities. In Beijing, President Yanukovych met with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Shanghai will be the last stop in the delegation’s mission.
Reassuring Investors
Encouraging investment and reassuring potential investors of Ukraine’s stability was at the top of the President’s Hong Kong agenda. “Today we have a new class in our country, a class of entrepreneurs willing to work in market conditions and with respect to fair competition. The work of this class is not based on ideology but on fair competition. It’s the new power of Ukraine,” he told the luncheon audience.
Strategic Location
The President added that Ukraine had much to offer, from rich agriculture and energy resources to modern technology and a strategic location between West and East. “We are Europe’s gate to the East and Asia’s gate to Europe.”
In a welcome address at the luncheon, HKTDC Executive Director Fred Lam said that the Ukrainian President’s presence “makes an important statement about the future of Hong Kong and Ukrainian relations.” Mr Lam said that trade between the two economies was up 33 per cent in the first two quarters of this year, adding: “We can help Ukrainian companies find funding and business partners – in Hong Kong, on the Chinese mainland and throughout Asia.”
Prior to the luncheon, the Hong Kong Government signed a visa-free agreement and a Customs Co-operative Arrangement with the Government of Ukraine at Government House. Chief Executive Donald Tsang and the Ukrainian President witnessed the signing ceremony.
Webcast
Highlights of the Ukrainian President’s address will be available tomorrow (5 September) on the HKTDC's webcasting service, at www.youtube.com/hktdc.
Media Enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC
Teresa O Tel: (852) 2584 4554 Email: teresa.cy.o@hktdc.org
Joe Kainz Tel: (852) 2584 4216 Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org
About the HKTDC
A statutory body established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and service providers. With more than 40 global offices, including 11 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China and throughout Asia. The HKTDC also organises trade fairs and business missions to connect companies with opportunities in Hong Kong and on the mainland, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and online. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com
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