Hong Kong Speech Tender

Following is the speech by the Chief Executive Mrs Carrie Lam at the Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference November 20Secretary-General Dato Lim Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi Lord Mountevans Vice Chairman of Maritime UK and Chairman of Maritime London Margaret Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council Ms Margaret Fong ladies and gentlemenGood morning. Its a pleasure to be here for the opening of the 2018 Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference. It is Im pleased to say the fourth year in a row Ive spoken at this conference. I am always keen to come not only because you represent one of Hong Kongs and the worlds most vital sectors but also because there is always a good turnout. This year more than 2 000 high-profile logistics users and providers from over 30 countries and regions have joined us. I welcome you all to Hong Kong one of the worlds preeminent logistics and maritime centres.In the global business of logistics connections are critical. The more connections your logistics sector has the more complex and interrelated they are the more effective it will be. In that regard Hong Kong is truly blessed. Thanks to one country two systems we enjoy ever deeper transport and logistics connections to Mainland China and to the opportunities therein. Thanks to that same system we also continue to build our ties with the world.Together those singular connections make Hong Kong excel in the global business of logistics. They make our partners excel too. Consider this mornings keynote speaker the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN as a group is our second-largest trading partner. We signed a free trade agreement and related investment agreement one year ago this month which will begin to take effect in January next year and will surely boost our trade our investment and our overall connectivity. I am sure the Secretary-General will agree with me when I say that relations between ASEAN and Hong Kong have never been better never more promising than they are now.The agreements show that Hong Kong and the 10 member states of ASEAN believe in free trade and in the mutual rewards trade and logistics can bring to our economies our companies and our peoples. As we all know free trade is taking something of a thrashing these days given the rising undercurrent of unilateralism and protectionism. Let me assure you ladies and gentlemen that for Hong Kong the primacy of free trade is immutable. I am pleased to say that we have successfully concluded free trade agreement negotiations with Australia just a few days ago.Its thanks to free enterprise and our ability to adapt to the changing market that has made Hong Kong one of the worlds leading trading economies and a leading international financial and logistics centre. Indeed trading and logistics is one of our four pillar industri