(April 27, 2010 Hong Kong) Releasing its “Developing Hong Kong as a Regional Hub for Quality Education” study report on April 27, the Hong Kong Ideas Centre (HKIC) called for enhancing Hong Kong’s education through increasing the number of undergraduate places and implementing multiple funding models. HKIC also considers the setup of privately-run higher institutions, together with a high-ranked official taskforce to induce more quality talents from the mainland and abroad, would help build Hong Kong a hub for economic, social and cultural vitalities. 

The report indicates that despite the good potentials of aspiring to be an education hub, Hong Kong is lagging behind other comparable economies on higher education. The ratio of our university places to total population is far much lower than those of our counterparts, falling short of moving towards a knowledge-based economy. At present, 33% of our school age population enjoys access to higher education, well below the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED)’s average of 53% and Singapore’s figure of 45%.

Mr Yeung Pak-sing, a member of HKIC’s Board of Directors and Education Study Group, said, “Manpower training is vital to Hong Kong’s long-term competitiveness. The Government must set clear targets to expand higher education by increasing substantially the number of undergraduate places.”

The report anticipates a pressing need of a sharp increase of higher education places to accommodate the huge number of eligible students in 2012, the overlapping year for the new ‘3-3-4’ academic structure and the old academic system. Given that 30,000 eligible students every year have to consider local self-financed degree or associate degree programmes, it is estimated that the number of insufficient undergraduate places for eligible students from senior secondary school will double to 60,000 in 2012, if institutions concerned have not expanded to accommodate these students.

‘HKIC’s recommendations on increasing the number of undergraduate places would alleviate the problem,’ said Ringo Li, another Study Group member.

The report advocates that UGC-funded institutions should adopt multiple funding models, and explore the feasibility of opening programmes for subsidized, partially subsidized, and self-financed students. ‘Our Study stresses the importance of both quantity and quality enhancements in higher education. It is hoped by increasing the number of undergraduate places, the overall structure, curriculum, student sources, quality control and other aspects will be improved,’ Mr Yeung explains.

The report also envisages the huge benefits brought by elevating Hong Kong to be an education hub. Growth of various educational services, ranging from basic education, continuing education, professional training, academic accreditation and registered examinations, will be stimulated, and the competitive edge of Hong Kong’s manpower enhanced.

The 6 major recommendations put forth by HKIC’s Study Group are:

1.     By 2015, accredited undergraduate places should be increased to 25,000 from the existing level of 14,500 places. The addition of 10,500 undergraduate places includes 3,500 government-subsidized places, thus raising its total to 18,000; and 7,000 self-funded places.

Local and non-local students will be split in a portion of 4 to 1 as 20,000 and 5,000 will be distributed respectively. For local students, 16,000 places will be government-subsidized and 4,000 self-funded. As for non-locals, 2,000 undergraduate places will be government-subsidized and 3,000 will need to pay their own school fees.

2.      Under the ‘3-3-4′ new academic structure, the addition of 3,500 publicly-funded places for each cohort of four years university education is expected to incur HK$8 billion investment in fixed assets, including the expansion of teaching facilities. The report recommends exploring the feasibility of extending the campuses of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Lingnan University, due to these universities’ available space.

3.      The report calls for a revamp of current subsidy system of higher education, in particular proposing the option of importing prevalent overseas multiple-funding model in one single higher institution. The report suggests the Government should bear only one third of the HK$2.4 billion recurrent expenditure on the proposed expansion of university places. Other stakeholders like the tertiary institutions, parents and the society, the report proposes, should contribute towards the balance of the funding requirements. However, the Government should allocate additional resources to enable every undergraduate to participate in at least one exchange programme in their course of study.

4.     The report urges strongly that the government should proactively support the setup of privately-run higher institutions. Priorities should be given to existing international schools, privately-run schools and institutions under the Vocational Training Council in a bid to fully utilise existing school premises and academic facilities. A lump sum of about HK$10 billion should be earmarked to finance the construction cost of university buildings and campus in term of a 15 to 20 year-long borrowing.   

5.      The report proposes an extra funding of HK$0.8 billion for the construction of two hostel projects. One project is to build 6,800 hostel places at the former Kai Tak Airport redevelopment site for students of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the City University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Baptist University; whereas another is to redevelop existing hostels for students and teaching staff at the University of Hong Kong to provide 1,300 hostel places. The two hostel projects will mount to build a total of 80,000 sq. m building floor area and 55,000 sq. m building site area.      

6.    The report suggests establishing a high-ranked official taskforce to coordinate, formulate and implement among various bureau and departments in different policy areas such as education, finance, land supply, employment, immigration, accreditation and overseas promotion.    

                                         ** End **

Research Report (Chinese version only)

About the Hong Kong Ideas Centre

Established in December 2008 by a group of devotees, Hong Kong Ideas Centre (HKIC) is an independent, apolitical non-profit organization whose motto is – “Think and Build for the Future”. To help harness collective wisdom, the Centre’s objectives include: (1) increasing Hong Kong’s competitiveness, (2) promoting sustainable economic and social development, and (3) improving Hong Kong community’s quality of life.

Since its establishment, the HKIC has conducted a series of studies on various issues and made recommendations that promote Hong Kong’s economic and social well being. These include:

• A Second Round of Recommendations to Promote Hong Kong as a RMB Offshore Centre
• 10 Recommendations to Promote Development of Chinese Medicine in Hong Kong
• 10 Recommendations to Promote a Green Economy
• 11 Recommendations to Turn Hong Kong into a Creative City
• 12 Measures to Promote Hong Kong into a RMB Settlement Centre

 HKIC’s Education Study Group Members: P.S. Yeung, Ringo Li, Lawrence Fung

 For press enquiries, please contact: Yvonne Kwok   2114 1488 / 9322 4639

(2010年3月29日, 香港) 香港集思會繼2009年7月發表《促進香港成為人民幣結算中心 – 提升人民幣流通性的12項建議》後，再度透過參考文獻，和訪問負責財金事務的官員、金融業和銀行業人士、廠商和貿易商等各界人士的方式，進行了另一項《促進香港成爲人民幣離岸中心》的跟進研究。

 

集思會認為香港是中國內地以外提供最完善人民幣業務的地方，也是人民幣境外存量最多的城市。香港擁有完善的金融基礎設施，及高度自由化的金融管理體制，是金融機構集中地，吸引了全球的對沖基金和資產管理公司在此落戶，加上資產管理的非居民性，和有祖國強大的經濟發展作為後盾，香港是發展成爲人民幣離岸中心的理想地方。

 

「集思會在去年7月提出首輪建議，引起各界的廣泛關注和回應。隨著國際金融大環境的急劇變化，以及國家加快改變經濟發展方式，集思會對人民幣區域化及國際化，進行了更深入的研究，就所得研究結果，作出第二輪建議，希望加速推動香港成為人民幣離岸中心。」集思會理事會主席馮紹波說。

 

集思會的第二輪建議共15項，涵括  (1) 優化跨境貿易人民幣結算試點；(2) 擴濶人民幣投資渠道；和 (3) 便利個人儲蓄及消費三大範疇。

 

香港集思會的重點建議包括:

進一步促進貿易結算

 

1.          在跨境貿易人民幣結算試點方面，集思會建議逐步把境內的試點範圍，由廣州、深圳、珠海、東莞、上海等五個試點城市中的365家企業，擴大至全國擁有外貿經營資格的企業；把境外試點地區擴展至所有與中國有貿易的國家和地區，並把結算的範圍由貨物貿易擴展至服務貿易。

 

2.          集思會建議港交所提供人民幣NDF (Non-deliverable Forward – 非交割遠期合約) 在交易所買賣，以提高市場資訊透明度，使企業在貿易過程當中，增加對對沖人民幣匯率風險的能力和信心，從而吸引海外和本地企業選擇人民幣貿易結算，促進香港成為有深度的人民幣貿易離岸結算市場。

 

 

加速深化香港人民幣債券市場

 

3.          集思會建議特區政府設立機制，主動向海外推廣香港的人民幣發債服務，並由國家財政部牽頭發長短期國債（一個月到三十年），在港建立包含不同年期的人民幣債券市場。香港也可推出人民幣定息收益產品基金。

 

集思會「人民幣專題小組」成員黃啟民建議：「政府可容許機構和企業兌換人民幣作購買定息收益產品之用。此外，允許金融中介機構開立人民幣賬戶，可有效促進香港成為人民幣離岸債券中心。」

 

放寬個人人民幣業務方面的限制

 

4.          集思會建議容許個人兌換100,000元人民幣作認購單項人民幣債券之用，並放寬限制，容許個人的人民幣存款以匯款或支票等形式轉到境外不同名的帳戶，作消費或投資用途，甚至可用於購房、支付房屋按揭和租賃等。並建議允許香港的保險公司提供人民幣壽險服務。

 

「此舉可有效促進人民幣在境外流通，加速推動香港成為人民幣離岸中心。」小組成員李婉如說。

 

其他建議

 

5.          中國先後與六個國家和地區簽訂了合共6,500億元人民幣的貨幣互換協定，其中香港佔2,000億元。倘若這些國家 / 地區的出口商把收到的人民幣與其央行兌換成當地貨幣，而該國央行則使用這筆人民幣到香港購買人民幣金融資產，人民幣可同時成為貿易和投資貨幣。

 

另一位小組成員梁家齊表示：「我們建議在時機成熟時，香港金管局遊説這些央行採取以上的方式支援企業的人民幣貿易結算，和購買香港的人民幣金融產品。」

 

6.          報告亦建議香港的銀行與金管局共同向亞洲各國推廣香港成為人民幣結算平臺，鼓勵亞洲各國利用香港與內地建立的人民幣清算管道，進行人民幣貿易結算。

 

7.          在擴濶人民幣投資渠道方面，報告建議允許企業和機構在香港開立人民幣賬戶，自由運用其賬戶内的資金，為人民幣國際化創造更有利的條件。

 

 

8.          香港交易所可與滬深交易所合作，推出以人民幣計價追蹤深証或滬証指數、或追蹤特定板塊的交易所買賣基金 (ETF),也可以推出追蹤商品 – 如黃金和貴金屬 – 價格的ETF。

 

 

9.          報告又建議國家允許以境外人民幣資金按規定到内地進行直接投資（“FDI”–Foreign Direct Investment）或通過「合格境外機構投資者」（“QFII” – Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors）的方式投資内地。

 

10.      國家亦可制定政策，鼓勵以人民幣作外匯儲備的外國央行以QFII的資格投資中國的資產，包括中國的國債，和在香港發行的各種人民幣投資產品。集思會建議香港金管局帶頭購買並持有人民幣債券作爲香港外匯儲備的一部分，以發揮示範作用。

 

進一步探討與內地加強合作

 

11.      香港與廣東省可以進一步探討發展可互換的金融產品，在兩地的交易所同時上市買賣，並以雙幣（人民幣、港幣）掛牌交易；設立機制讓在香港上市的股票、交易所上市基金、貴金屬等以雙幣（人民幣、港幣）計價結算。

 

12.      香港與內地應積極研究發展以人民幣為中心的國際化金融架構及基建，建立與人民幣國際地位相適應的交易、結算系統和風險管理制度。在架構及制度完成後，可按部就班考慮分三個階段開放給投資者參與：第一階段只試點開放給兩地的機構投資者；試點成功後，第二階段開放給兩地的零售投資者；第三階段可考慮開放給國際投資者。

 

結語

 

香港金管局今年2月25日向銀行發出題為《香港人民幣業務的監管原則及操作安排的詮釋》的函件，放寬企業在香港使用人民幣的限制，對發展香港成為人民幣離岸中心尤為重要。

 

2008年的金融風暴既是危也是機，帶動了新一輪的國際金融改革浪潮，有利於内地的金融改革和金融企業的壯大，同時亦啓動了人民幣國際化進程。集思會相信香港在這次浪潮中，可發揮人民幣離岸市場的作用，與上海的在岸市場相互配合，與珠三角共融共通，為中國的經濟再上一個臺階發揮積極作用。

 

詳細研究報告及建議請參閱香港集思會網頁www.ideascentre.hk

–          完 – 

 

關於香港集思會

以「齊思考、創未來」為座右銘，香港集思會是一家獨立、無政治背境、非牟利的研究機構，由一羣熱愛香港人士於2008年12月創立。透過集思廣益，集思會的研究工作有三大範疇：1) 增強香港的競爭能力 (2) 促進香港經濟及社會的持續發展，及 (3) 提升市民的生活質素。

成立以來，集思會已就多個經濟及社會課題進行研究，並提出一系列的建議，其中包括：

• 10項促進中醫藥在香港發展的建議
• 10項推動發展「綠色經濟」的建議
• 11項打造香港成為「創意之都」的建議
• 12項促進香港成為人民幣結算中心的建議

 

人民幣專題小組成員簡介

李婉如：        香港集思會顧問

 

梁家齊：        鷹達證券有限公司主席、前經濟機遇委員會委員

黃啟民：        香港大學商學院名譽副教授、香港證監會非執行董事

 

馮紹波：        香港集思會理事會主席

（排名按筆劃序）

 

 

報告摘要

 

 

 

研究報告

 

 

 

 

傳媒查詢:

David Woo           電話: 21141486 / 6626 5762   

Yvonne Kwok                電話: 2114 1488 / 9322 4639

(March 21, 2010, Hong Kong) Hong Kong Ideas Centre (HKIC) today announced the results of a study it has recently completed on Chinese medicine (CM). It also proposed ten recommendations to help develop CM services and products.

Attending the press conference were HKIC’s CM study group advisors Dr. C. H. Leong, Dr. Ko Wing Man, Professor Liu Liang, and study group member, Mr. S. C. Mak.

Mr. Lawrence Fung, Chairman of HKIC’s Board of Directors said, “With the rising demand and increase in knowledge of Chinese medicine among members of the public, Hong Kong should ride on this advantage to upgrade the quality and level of service for CM. Capitalizing on the huge potential of the CM industry as a contributor to our economy, we should further develop CM services for health and wellness enhancement, prevention of diseases and treatment of chronic illnesses; so as to alleviate the society’s medical burden posed by an aging population.”

“In addition, using advanced technology, Hong Kong enterprises and universities can further enhance our strengths in related testing and certification, medicine development and re-exports. With this in mind, HKIC proposes 10 recommendations with focus on two major areas, i.e. CM services and education, and CM products,” added Mr. Fung.

Echoing the message, Dr. C. H. Leong said, “Hong Kong has already made encouraging achievements on statutory regulation, education, research and development of Chinese medicine since the Hong Kong Government announced its intention to develop Hong Kong as a CM hub in 1998.  Moreover, with the gradual aging of our population and elderly people’s preference to consult CM practitioners, some public hospitals have begun to provide outpatient CM services besides conducting related research and training. We see this as the high time to further develop CM services and promote the CM industry in the interest of Hong Kong’s community and economy.”

Another study group advisor, Dr. Ko Wing Man said, “The Hospital Authority has already been incorporating CM services into our public health system. It is hoped that through successful clinical trials and close cooperation, complementary CM and WM treatments can be offered together to the maximum benefits of patients.

“In 2009 the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society opened a Cancer Rehabilitation Centre and took the lead to provide CM-WM services to inpatients.  Within the Centre is a CM clinic which provides CM services to outpatients as well. This CM Centre was established through cooperation between the Anti-Cancer Society and Hong Kong Baptist University. All these have improved the rehabilitation opportunity for cancer patients in Hong Kong,” said Dr. Ko.

HKIC’s Key Recommendations include:

(1)   Establish a CM–based hospital

Last December the Hong Kong Government invited organizations from the private sector to express interest in developing private hospitals on four designated sites. HKIC suggests the Government to take this opportunity to initiate discussions and provide incentives to prospective bidders on the possibility of setting up a CM-based hospital, or at least to provide CM inpatient and outpatient services in these new hospitals.

 “Besides providing comprehensive services to patients, this CM-based hospital should establish close relationship with local universities, so as to provide an important base for teaching, training, practice and clinical research. This is instrumental to the nurturing of high quality CM professionals in Hong Kong,” said Professor Liu Liang, study group advisor.

(2)   Strengthen collaboration and cooperation with the mainland

Member of the study group, Mr. S. C. Mak said,“Mainland China is the world’s largest producer as well as the biggest consumption market for CM.  Hong Kong should capitalize on this hinterland for its CM development. We should also take advantage of concessions under the Mainland/HK Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) to penetrate the China market.  We support the Government to allow more renowned CM practitioners from the mainland to come to Hong Kong for clinical teaching and research. We call on the government to seek ways to harmonize standards and registration requirements for CM products with the mainland. At the same time, we see it important for the two territories to increase their collaboration in R&D.”

(3) Promote the development of specialist CM services and education

HKIC favours the development of specialist CM services and education. In selecting the specialist areas for promotion, attention should focus on those of high demand among patients as well as those with proven effectiveness. Examples are: chronic illnesses, elderly ailments, health maintenance, etc. The development of specialist services will help attract high caliber teachers and outstanding students to join the profession, whereby the profession’s overall recognition, professional image and quality of services can be enhanced over time.
“Of all the specialist areas in Chinese medicine, we consider acupuncture as having the highest potential. Supported by internationally recognized research and plenty of clinical trials, acupuncture is well received in the West,” said Mr. Mak. 

Other recommendations

HKIC also suggests the Government to set up of a high-level steering committee to assume the overall coordination among different stake-holders and to map out comprehensive, coherent and sustainable strategies for the long-term development of CM in Hong Kong.

The report also calls for the collaboration between CM and WM based on a patient-centred principle. A priority “Health Check and Maintenance” service could be developed, using WM’s advanced technology to conduct body check and CM services for health maintenance and wellness.

In the area of economic contribution,HKIC reckons Hong Kong should enhance its testing and certification capability to provide value-added for Chinese herbal medicine export. In addition, it is recommended that development of proprietary Chinese medicines should move towards two directions: health supplements and drugs. The establishment of a CM–based hospital and greater collaboration with the mainland are conducive to R&D of proprietary Chinese medicines in Hong Kong.

HKIC maintains that Hong Kong enjoys many distinctive advantages for developing CM. Chinese medicine encompasses the culture and wisdom of thousands of years of Chinese history. It has been practiced consistently and effectively from generation to generation. On the other hand, WM has a high reputation on clinical trials and effectiveness. Its technological advancement in the past century was remarkable. 

Hong Kong has built a solid foundation for CM services over the past decade. It possesses high standards of WM service and experience in medical management at the same time. Hong Kong should ride on this unparallel strength and opportunity to bridge the gap between the East and West, and to promote the modernization, scientific and industrial developments of CM.” 

A full copy of the study report and its recommendations are available on the HKIC’s website: www.ideascentre.hk

-End-

 

 

About the Hong Kong Ideas Centre

Established in December 2008 by a group of devotees, Hong Kong Ideas Centre (HKIC) is an independent, apolitical non-profit organisation whose motto is – “Think and Build for the Future”. To help harness collective wisdom, the Centre’s objectives include: (1) increasing Hong Kong’s competitiveness, (2) promoting sustainable economic and social development, and (3) improving Hong Kong community’s quality of life.

Since its establishment, the HKIC has conducted a series of studies on various issues and made recommendations that promote Hong Kong’s economic and social well being. These include:

–          12 measures to promote Hong Kong as an RMB settlement centre

–          11 recommendations to transform Hong Kong into a “Creative City”

–          10 recommendations to develop a green economy

 

About the Advisors

Dr. C. H. Leong:         Non-executive member, Executive Council; Chairperson, Elderly Commission; Chairperson, Council on Human Reproductive Technology; Chairperson, Council of the University of Hong Kong

Dr. Ko Wing Man:     Chairman, Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society; Director, International Foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Development, Ltd.; Former President, Hong Kong Association for Integration of Chinese-Western Medicine Ltd.

Professor Liu Liang:     Dean, The School of Chinese Medicine (SCM) of the Hong Kong Baptist University; Member, Chinese Medicine Council of Hong Kong

 

 

For press enquiries, please contact:

David Woo  Tel: 21141486 / 6626 5762    

Yvonne Kwok        Tel: 2114 1488 / 9322 4639

 (HONG KONG – 2 September 2009) Hong Kong Ideas Centre (HKIC) started an Environmental Protection Study in May this year to investigate ways of developing a green economy in Hong Kong, through studying Hong Kong’s environment-related industries, learning from the progress in other countries and regions and gathering ideas from various industries and experts. The report has been completed, with 10 recommendations on three areas: (1) setting up an SME Green Loan Fund to promote environmental protection among small and medium enterprises; (2) the government should take the lead in adopting and promoting environmental protection to drive the growth of green markets and (3) enhancing policies and measures for the development of green industries.

The government has introduced various environmental protection measures in recent years. It has also accepted the suggestion put forward by the Task Force on Economic Challenges to position the environmental industry as one of the six industries with growth potential in Hong Kong. HKIC welcomes and supports the government’s initiatives. But more strenuous efforts are needed in environment protection and creating business opportunities if the environmental industry and a green economy in Hong Kong are expected to grow to their full potential. 

Setting up an “SME Green Loan Fund”

 

The first suggestion put forth by HKIC is the setting up of a $500 million SME Green Loan Fund by the government to provide interest-free loans to Hong Kong’s small and medium sized enterprises so that they can install or use environment-friendly facilities and technologies. On the one hand, it can enhance their capability of complying with relevant environmental legislations; on the other hand, the funding can assist SMEs in upgrading efficiency, saving energy, reducing pollution, improving production, service, and corporate image, resulting in an all-win situation.

 

The SME Green Loan Fund proposed by HKIC is different from the Green Financing Scheme co-run by the Hong Kong Productivity Council and local banks. The latter focuses on Hong Kong-invested factories in Mainland China while the former covers all local industries, including small-sized eateries like Hong Kong-style restaurants, congee or noodle shops and roast-meat diners (according to the Census and Statistics Department there are approximately 5,000 such eateries in Hong Kong), hair salons, small factories or food processing plants, local farming enterprises such as aquatic breeding farms, flower planters and organic farms etc. At the same time, loans made under the SME Green Loan Fund are not low-interest loans by banks; they are interest-free loans provided by the government. 

For more than half a year, banks have been badly hit by the financial tsunami and have become very prudent in corporate lending. Loan terms and conditions can be so stringent that the funding schemes carried out through banks are actually not of much help for SMEs. There have long been examples of government-funded loan schemes including the Kadoorie Agricultural Aid Loan Fund, the Fisheries Development Loan Fund and the Film Development Fund.

 

The Government Should Take Lead in Promoting Environmental Protection

 

To effectively promote environmental protection, it is crucial that the government should play a leading role. By setting a good example, the government can drive the development of green industries in Hong Kong. It can also serve the purposes of raising public awareness of environmental protection to a much higher level, realizing the goal of sustainable development and at the same time enhancing Hong Kong’s environmental image among international communities.

 

The Chief Executive announced the expansion of the scope of green procurement after the last meeting of the Task Force on Economic Challenges in June 2009. HKIC recommends more comprehensive green purchasing and operation by the government. For example, all government departments should strictly enforce source separation of waste; the government should avoid using take-away bottled water; all newly-purchased government cars must be green and energy saving; the room temperatures and humidity of air-conditioned government buildings should not be lower than specific values; government buildings’ indoor lighting should be installed with automatic system and their outdoor lighting should include light-sensitive function; all indoor and outdoor lighting should be replaced with energy saving products; all government buildings, community centers and government schools should launch green roofs, etc. 

To lower the immediate expenses, the government should consider cooperating with environmental consultants or engineering companies through performance contracts, under which these companies will pay for the installation of hardware and then share the savings from less energy consumption with the government.

 

Moreover, environmental consultants or engineering companies can provide “free” energy saving engineering services to commercial buildings in Hong Kong. Qualified small and medium sized environmental consultants or engineering companies can apply for loans under the SME Green Loan Fund to overcome related cash flow problems. HKIC also proposes strict environmental requirements in government tenders. The government should also provide more employment opportunities for local environmental consultants or engineering companies familiar with Hong Kong’s unique conditions to enhance their long-term development. 

An Independent Environmental Protection Account

 

On the sources of funding, HKIC proposes the establishment of an independent account by the government to make sure that all environmental incomes (like sewage charges, construction waste disposal charges, relevant penalties and the environmental levy on plastic shopping bags launched recently) are directly used to promote a green city.  

As the government has considered issuing bonds in recent years, HKIC suggests classifying some of the bonds as Green Bonds. Not only can it promote environmental awareness, but it can also raise funds to pioneer environmental protection and support the growth of the environmental industry in a more comprehensive and effective way.

Other Suggestions

 

HKIC’s proposals for environmental protection also include an environmental accreditation and award scheme set up by the government and trade associations, the establishment of an Environmental Information & Technical Support Centre, new legislations on promoting environmental protection efforts of public institutions (for example, public housing estates, the Hospital Authority, subsidized schools, universities etc), formulation of long-term plans for reducing greenhouse gases, direct subsidization to the recycling industry and education and manpower training for the environmental industry. 

For the full version of the research report and proposals, please refer to HKIC website at www.ideascentre.hk 

 

About Hong Kong Ideas Centre

Hong Kong Ideas Centre (HKIC) was set up in December 2008 by a group of people who love and care about Hong Kong. Its funding comes from donations. The motto of HKIC is Think and Build for the Future and its objectives include: (1) increasing Hong Kong’s competitiveness; (2) promoting the sustainable development of Hong Kong as a vibrant economy and community; and (3) improving the quality of life of Hong Kong citizens.  

To collect ideas from different sources, HKIC holds various activities regularly, which include discussions and consultations, research, surveys, interviews, seminars, websites etc. HKIC looks forward to your participation.

Website: http://www.ideascentre.hk

Media enquiry: Carol Lee (Tel: 2696 -2969 / 9277-5272)

Key recommendations (Chinese version only)

Research report (Chinese version only)

 

HKIC commenced its “Study on Hong Kong’s Creative Industries” in March 2009. It was hoped that with a better understanding of the current status of Hong Kong’s creative sectors, the experience of other countries in promoting and developing their creative industries, coupled with ideas and feedback from industry experts, the Centre could come up with concrete recommendations on how Hong Kong should develop its creative industries.

 

Official statistics showed that in the past decade, the economic contribution of Hong Kong’s creative industries has remained at more or less the same level, contributing about 4% of GDP and employing 5% of the working population, growing at about the same rate as the overall economy.

 

Responding to the identification of the cultural and creative industries by the Task Force on Economic Challenges as one of the six important pillars driving Hong Kong’s future economic growth, the study pointed out that with globalization, technological development and the growing importance of the knowledge economy, the question for Hong Kong is not whether it should develop its creative industries, but how it can best facilitate their development and their linkages with other industry sectors to maximize their contribution to Hong Kong’s economy.

 

The study showed that Hong Kong still possesses certain competitive advantages in creative industries development, including freedom of information and creativity, a pluralistic and cosmopolitan society, experienced talents with good exposure, an established quality image, good technological and communications infrastructure as well as good support services.

 

Mr Jonathan Yu, the HKIC Advisor responsible for the study, said, “To ensure the sustainable development of its creative industries in the long run, Hong Kong should build a solid foundation in the arts and culture, strengthen creative talent development, and enhance its knowledge base of the creative economy through better research.”

 

“Establishing a Creative IN Zone and promoting creativity territory-wide, making better use of established signature creative events and building more creative clusters will all help in the short term. Nevertheless, the creative economy cannot be sustained without solid foundations, long-term strategic planning by and support from the Government, as well as the close collaboration of Government, industry and academia, in which case Hong Kong’s advantages will disappear and we may well lose out to our neighbours,” Mr. Yu added.

 

In view of this, HKIC’s 11 recommendations focus on four different areas, including “Turning Hong Kong into a Vibrant Creative City”; “Providing Good Hardware and Software Support for the Development of Creative Industries”; “Laying Solid Foundations for the Development of Creative Industries” and “Strengthening and Consolidating Government Support for the Creative Industries”.

 

Recommendation 1:  Establishing a “Creative IN Zone” in Central District and Making Hollywood Road a World Famous Creative Street

 

The area along and around Hollywood Road is one with unique characteristics, incorporating the elements of creativity, relics, history, the arts as well as dining and leisure. With the proposed refurbishment of the historic Central Police Station by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the proposal for turning the old Hollywood Road Married Police Quarters into a creative cluster, the region could become a vibrant creative hub attracting local visitors and overseas tourists.

 

It is recommended that with the support and cooperation of the Government, the Central and Western District Council, local entrepreneurs, community organisations as well as creative industry practitioners, Central District be turned into a Creative IN Zone and Hollywood Road a World Famous Creative Street. The region could become an engine propelling Hong Kong to be a world creative city, encouraging the development of creative clusters and creative activities in other districts of Hong Kong.

 

Ms. Leonie Ki, an Advisor of HKIC, said, “Hollywood Road was selected as one of the world’s top 10 shopping streets and it and its surrounding area has many of the elements in becoming a Creative IN Zone. Through concerted efforts by all key players and with better packaging, the area could be turned into a world famous spot with unique characteristics, attracting young people to gather and pursue creative activities, and propelling tourism, creative industries, dining and leisure activities in the region for the enjoyment of local residents and overseas tourists.”

 

Existing and proposed major attractions in the area, including new proposals made by HKIC, include:

 

Historical buildings such as the Man Mo Temple, Central Police Station, the Old Married Police Quarters and the Chinese YMCA Building.

 

Arts and cultural activities at the Fringe Club and City Hall, and arts and antiques shops and art galleries along Hollywood Road and its neighbouring area. HKIC proposes organizing more street performances and turning an old building in the area into a 24-hour Book City.

 

As for food and beverages, there are numerous dining and bar activities at Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo featuring a wide choice of culinary options. The newly developed restaurants and leisure facilities in Kau U Fong, Gough Street and Jervois Street have added more variety to the area.

 

Recommendation 2:  Organizing Creative Events in the 18 Districts of Hong Kong

 

Organize events, festivals or competitions in the 18 districts throughout the territory to promote public awareness of and interest in creativity, which could also help nurture creativity amongst the younger generation.

 

Recommendation 3:  Promoting Hong Kong as a Regional Creative Hub through Signature Asian Creative Industry Events

 

Every year, Hong Kong hosts many magnificent local and international creative events such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, and Business of Design Week. With proper packaging and promotion efforts, these events could help reinforce the leading position of Hong Kong as a vibrant creative city in Asia.

 

Recommendation 4:  Promoting Public Art

 

Provide a “Percent for Art” scheme that requires the allocation of about 1% of the construction cost of public buildings and facilities to art, and public art tax or gross floor area incentive schemes to encourage developers to provide and/or display public art in the public area of commercial developments.

 

Recommendation 5:  Facilitating and Supporting the Development of Creative Clusters

 

Identify and convert suitable venues, such as obsolete factories, schools or other Government buildings, or revitalize historical buildings into affordable cluster space for the creative industries, in particular for small players, incubation and training schemes, industry associations important for fostering cross-sector collaboration and establishing linkages with other industries, etc.

 

Recommendation 6:   Providing Support for New Entrants

 

Establish an Online Information Service for the Creative Industries to provide, on a sector-by-sector basis, information on educational, training and learning opportunities, qualification framework, career paths and job opportunities and openings, industry/professional associations, Government and industry support initiatives, and the latest sector information to help young people and students aspiring to pursue formal and informal studies or a career in the creative industries.

 

Recommendation 7:  Establishing a Television Channel for Arts, Culture and Creativity

 

Establish a dedicated free television channel for arts, culture and creativity in making the arts accessible to all and in nurturing creativity, building up the audience base for arts and cultural performances, as well as providing a useful platform for arts and creative education.

 

Recommendation 8:  Nurturing Creativity and Building Up Hong Kong’s Cultural Fabric

 

In the area of arts education, embed arts and creativity in school education through mandatory inclusion of arts subjects in the kindergarten to secondary school curriculum; deploy art, design and media as important learning tools; develop a mechanism for deploying practicing artists and creative industry practitioners in education delivery, and speed up the training of arts and culture education professionals.

 

To build up Hong Kong’s cultural fabric, consider introducing a new mechanism for public funding for the arts, promote the setting up of private foundations to support arts and culture, review the admission charges for public museums, consider the introduction of an “arts and culture voucher” scheme for underprivileged students to experience the arts, review rules and regulations governing art performances in public spaces, liven up the use of waterfront promenades and introduce arts in public buildings and facilities; review Government policies on museums and the operation of public performance venues; deploy arts and cultural tourism as a key strategy in tourism promotion for Hong Kong; review Government planning and building regulations to facilitate the provision of art and cultural space or performance venues by the private sector.

 

Recommendation 9:  Developing the Evidence Base for the Creative Industries:

Creative Industries Mapping

 

It is recommended that the Create Hong Kong Office, supported by the Census and Statistics Department and working together with industry and professional associations and academic institutions, come up with agreed methodologies for mapping the creative industries of Hong Kong, including their linkages with the wider economy, the creative workforce in other industries, and the public sector’s involvement in creative industries, and conduct detailed mapping exercises on a regular basis.

 

Recommendation 10:  Government/Industry/Academia Cooperation in Developing Creative Talent

 

The Government, working together with tertiary and sub-tertiary educational institutions and industry experts, should take a critical look at the talent and manpower requirements of the creative industries to upgrade and improve their skills and knowledge.

 

Recommendation 11:  Establishing a Creative Industries Task Force and Upgrading the Status of the Create Hong Kong Office

 

Establish a Creative Industries Task Force to determine key strategies for the promotion and development of creative industries and consider upgrading the Create Hong Kong Office to the status of a Government department.

 

With the concerted and persistent efforts of various Government departments and support from the community, HKIC hopes that Hong Kong can successfully establish itself as a “Vibrant Creative City” and open a new chapter in the development of its creative economy.

 

The full study report and recommendations can be viewed at HKIC’s website www.ideascentre.hk.

 

Enquiry:         Yvonne Kwok

Telephone:      2114 1488 / 9322 4639

 9.8.2009

 

Key recommendations

Research reports (Part 1)

Research reports (Part 2)

Conceptual Map on “Creative IN Zone”

Current scenes of proposed “Creative IN Zone”

PRESS RELEASE (Hong Kong – 28 April 2009) Established by a group of Hong Kong devotees, the Hong Kong Ideas Centre (HKIC) is an independent, non-profit organization with the objective to provide constructive and innovative recommendations conducive to Hong Kong’s economic and social well being, for reference and consideration by relevant parties and members of the public. Today, at its launching press conference, representatives of the media were briefed on the vision, mission, value, operations, areas of focus and strategic plan of HKIC.

Mr Lawrence Fung, Chairman of HKIC said, “Hong Kong is facing unprecedented challenges. How to get out of the current demise and find new directions that enable sustainable development is a shared vision of every member of HKIC.”
HKIC aims to be a substantial contributor of ideas through collecting ideas from knowledgeable people and various other sources, and build on them via conducting brainstorming, consultations and research. HKIC aims to establish and enhance Hong Kong’s position as one of the most prosperous and livable cities of the world.

“At HKIC, we harness collective wisdom and it is from which we have derived our motto, Think and build for the future,” added Mr. Fung.

Hong Kong Ideas Centre (HKIC) is an independent and apolitical non-profit organization financed by donations from a group of enthusiasts.
HKIC prides itself on having a strong network to knowledgeable people from different sectors to act as its advisors and assist it in ideas-gathering, discussions, consultations and researches on various topics and projects. At the moment, it has 34 advisors across different sectors.
“Hong Kong has many knowledgeable and experienced people. From business leaders to small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, working and retired professionals, retired civil servants, academics, foreign missions and overseas chambers of commerce, Hong Kong-based Chinese enterprises to members of the general public are all valuable sources for collective wisdom,” said Mrs. Anna Lai, Executive Director of HKIC. Mrs. Lai was former Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) in charge of TDC’s research, information and IT departments, among others, for many years.

Unlike most think tanks, which focus on hiring experts or use their staff to conduct in-depth studies, HKIC emphasizes more on understanding the background of its study topics and actively seeking opinions from various sources, followed by objective evaluation and screening in order to come up with constructive and innovative recommendations for dissemination in a timely manner.

HKIC’s work focuses on three main areas (1) increasing Hong Kong’s competitiveness; (2) promoting Hong Kong’s sustainable economic and social development; and (3) improving the quality of life of the citizens. Its study topics will include employment, finance, tourism, creative industry, medical and heath, talent and population policies, youth development, environmental protection, Hong Kong- Mainland integration, etc.
“Following the financial tsunami, China’s position in the world arena has become even more prominent. Hong Kong has the unique advantage of having the Chinese mainland as its hinterland. For sustainable development, we must speed up our economic collaboration and integration with the mainland.” said Mr. P.S. Yeung, another Director of HKIC and a veteran investor and management expert in electric power business in China.
Apart from the Board of Directors, HKIC has established a Strategy Committee comprising the three directorate members plus Mr. Frederick Ho Wing Huen, former Commissioner for Census and Statistics, HKSARG and current Honorary Professor of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, The University of Hong Kong, and Professor Chan Chi Fai of the Department of Marketing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Together they will determine HKIC’s direction and formulate its strategies.

Mr. Ho has great insight into Hong Kong’s development over the years, is objective and impartial in his analyses, and is familiar with the Government’s policies and internal operations. “Population change has profound impact on different facets of Hong Kong’s social and economic developments, including housing, education, employment, talents, medical and health issues, etc. We must take an active role to plan ahead,” said Mr. Ho.

Professor Chan is an advocate of new management thinking and has numerous pupils in various sectors of the community. He will be a great resource for HKIC to recruit young talents from various sectors. Mr. Ho and Professor Chan are ideal persons for developing and driving HKIC’s activities.
HKIC welcomes young people to participate in its activities. It also plans to invite them to help organize some activities, such as talks and seminars.
“HKIC cares for the young and sees them as the future of Hong Kong. We will strive every opportunity to understand the younger generation’s views and opinions, and take the same opportunity to pass on our values, knowledge and experience.” said Mrs. Lai.