World Conference on Creative Economy 2018 in Bali, Indonesia
Following is the speech by the Deputy Director (Commercial Relations) of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta, Mr Kelvin Ng, at the Creative Village in World Conference on Creative Economy 2018, organised by the Indonesian Agency for Creative Economy (Bekraf) in Bali, Indonesia today (November 6):
Ladies and Gentlemen, good afternoon.
First of all, I would like to thank our good partner, Bekraf, for organising this event. I am most delighted to join you all this afternoon to share our thoughts on creative industries.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Kelvin Ng. I am representing the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Jakarta. Our office in Jakarta commenced operation in June 2016 and we represent the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in matters between Hong Kong and ASEAN as a whole, and handle in particular matters between Hong Kong and four countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. The remaining six ASEAN countries continue to be covered by our Singapore Office, which has been established for over 20 years.
Hong Kong is renowned for its role as an international financial centre in the region. Perhaps, many of you who have visited Hong Kong would agree that it is a good place for business, for investment, for shopping and for food. Yes, these are all correct. But, today, I would like to tell you that Hong Kong is also the ideal place for creative industries.
You may have heard that Hong Kong's movies are very popular for decades not just in Hong Kong but also in Mainland China, and amongst Chinese communities around the world, including in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong movie stars like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat and Donnie Yen, etc. contributed a great deal to our film industry and also helped making Hong Kong known to the world. Now, Hong Kong is one of the world's largest exporters of film and TV content. In fact, we are also one of the world's largest suppliers of imported books and newspapers. And, we are the major centre for Chinese language publications and broadcasting.
About 10 years ago in 2007, the Government established the Hong Kong Film Development Council to support, develop and promote the film industry. In recent years, Hong Kong filmmakers are awarded with numerous international awards. This is an encouraging sign that their quality work has been well received in the international film arena. The Government will continue to work with the Film Development Council to support the film industry in Hong Kong on various fronts with a view to promoting its sustainable development.
A few decades ago, Hong Kong was the major manufacturer and exporter of garments to the USA and European markets, due to various historical reasons. Now, we no long have the advantages comparing with neighboring economies in manufacturing the garments. But, we still make Hong Kong an international fashion centre by focusing on design, trend-setting and research and development activities in areas such as high performance materials, wearable electronics and green materials.
The Government also actively encourages and supports fashion designers to participate in international fashion shows. For example, we subsidised the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to lead more than 15 Hong Kong fashion designers to participate in the Copenhagen Fashion Week in Denmark, the Tokyo Fashion Week, the New York Fashion Week and the Shanghai Fashion Week. A series of fashion shows were staged and short-term exhibition halls were set up to enhance the international profile of Hong Kong fashion designers, strengthen the interaction and establishment of business networks among Hong Kong fashion designers, local and overseas fashion manufacturers and buyers as well as other trade practitioners.
Hong Kong is regarded to have one the world's best skylines. I would say our lovely harbor, the surrounding hills and the buildings and skyscrapers all contributed to the beautiful scene. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world. Therefore, there are practical needs for us to make the best and most efficient use of our land resources. At the same time, we put a lot of emphasis on the aesthetic aspects of our buildings.
Over the years, we have seen a lot of buildings designed by world-renowned architects being built in our city. For instance, the Lippo Centre is designed by the American architect Paul Rudolf; the Bank of China Tower by the Chinese American I.M. Pei; the HSBC building by the British Norman Foster, who also designed our airport terminal building and the luxurious residential building the Lily; the Jockey Club Innovation Tower by the late Iraqi-British architect, Zaha Hadid, etc. Hong Kong is actually a big showroom of some of the best architectural masterpieces.
Now, we are developing our West Kowloon Cultural District, which is a mega project consisting of a world-class arts venue, museum and theatre complex. The West Kowloon will establish a new vibrant cultural quarter located on a dramatic harbour-front site in the heart of Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, we are also working on a huge and highly complex development project called Kai Tak Development. These developments will generate huge demand for talents on architectural design, interior design, internal decorations, lighting design, landscaping planning, etc. We welcome talents from all over the world to join us in the projects.
I quoted film industry, fashion design and architectural design as examples. In fact, Hong Kong's creative industries have a broad spectrum including advertising, art and culture, broadcasting, product design, digital entertainment, music, media, publishing and multimedia. Over the years, the Hong Kong Government has set up various organisations and agencies, and launched a number of initiatives to support creative industries.
A good environment and government support for the creative industries are very important but these are not enough. There are other factors that are equally crucial.
As you know, Hong Kong is a free economy where we believe in free flow of information and freedom of expression. We are also an international city where talented people from various different cultures all over the world live and work harmoniously. Hong Kong is not simply a meeting point between the East and West, but a place where various cultures and traditions can blend into each other and add colours to our daily lives. But, this is still not enough for our success.
Our commitment to the rule of law is critical to the protection of intellectual property rights. We think these are important issues to support and protect designers when they are focusing on their creative work. But again, this is still not enough.
When you have a good design or idea, you need a platform to market and commercialise it. To put it in simple words, you need buyers who are willing to pay for your design or idea. Hong Kong is the regional business hub in the region. Major international brands have set up their regional headquarters in Hong Kong. That means the key decision makers of foreign and Mainland Chinese corporations are based in our city. Hong Kong is also the third largest art auction centre in the world, just behind New York and London. This means Hong Kong is the place where you can turn your creativity into real business opportunities. In Hong Kong, you will not only be looking into the local Hong Kong market, but also the huge markets in Mainland China and the Asia Pacific region.
But, we still need something more.
Hong Kong's excellent financial sector can provide various funding options for designers and professionals in the creative industries to materialise their ideas.
And, do not underestimate the challenges and problems while implementing your creative projects. You will probably need to work together with a lot of other talents, artists, professionals, experts and consultants, such as accountants, lawyers, engineers, photographers, draftsmen, craftsmen, etc. I can assure you that these people, from all over the world, they are all here in Hong Kong.
To conclude, ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is the place where you can find a friendly environment for creative industries, and the government support, the IP protection, the availability of talents from all over the world, the markets, and of course the various sources of funding.
Indonesians' creativity is very well-known. I personally see a lot of potentials in your film industry, fashion design and architectural design, and that is why I shared Hong Kong's experience on these three industries with you a moment ago. What you need is an ideal place, like Hong Kong, to make your dreams come true. I encourage you to consider and explore developing your creative businesses in Hong Kong or partnering with Hong Kong companies.
Thank you.
Ends/Tuesday, November 6, 2018