名譽主席獻辭                     [ 主席獻辭]    [副主席獻辭]

Electronic industries had played an indispensably important role in the economic takeoff of Hong Kong. It brought in the last few decades tremendous wealth and prosperity not only to Hong Kong but to the entire Pearl River Delta and beyond. The continuous streams of investment from companies of Hong Kong, multinationals corporations of foreign countries and the likes had turned the region the most important cluster of manufacturing industries for the global electronics marketplaces. The rapidly advancing electronics industries in global terms has had however presented some very acute challenges to the local players in Hong Kong and PRD. 

The emergency of developing countries such as India who always eye on the lucrative electronics industries implies to Hong Kong companies that the low cost advantages, made possible by the China factor, will gradually disappear altogether. To stay competitive, the industries have to inevitably complement their manufacturing with high value adding activities built upon such leading edges as technologies, product design or even branding. This is however easier said than done as it involves a major paradigm shift from those of us who have been so accustomed to being an OEM, not to mention the fact that many of the industries in Hong Kong are SME who might find the medium to long term financial burden beyond manageable. 

Having said that, we must not be unmindful that the electronic industries of Hong Kong are in command of many competitive advantages of which many others might find jealous. For example we have comprehensive value chains embracing marketing, logistic, components, assembly, etc, already established and exist in Hong Kong and next door in PRD. While these are backed up by professionals, either home grown in Hong Kong or overseas talents attracted by the dynamism of the region, we even have world-class electronics schools, witnessed by the R&D output as recognized, in the various universities of Hong Kong, providing to us the graduates as needed to sustain the organic growth of the industries. Most important of all, China who is quickly transforming itself from being the factory to a major market of the world, will undoubtedly present to the electronic industries of Hong Kong a whole new wave of opportunities. 

The electronic industries of Hong Kong had been very busy with the compliance of WEEE and RoHS in the last few years. This of course is a major challenge and of extreme importance for the industry in short to medium term, we cannot however evade ourselves of the question of the long well being of the industry, and whether is there anything the industry can do on a collective basis. 

Founded in September 2002, the America Hong Kong Electronics Association commands now a respectable membership of more than a hundred companies, covering every major aspect of the electronic industries of Hong Kong. The energy and the determination displayed by the Association in its brief few years of existence tells to us that this is perhaps what we needed the most in the industries of Hong Kong. A body that connects professionals and companies from all walks of the trade, to bring in and cultivate business opportunities for the region, and to speak for the industry in public or international arenas. Looking into the future, I am sure that there will be even more important roles for professional bodies like ours to help transforming the electronic industries of Hong Kong, and it is my wish that the AHKEA, with its unique positioning, will be taking an increasingly vital part to work for this long term journey of Hong Kong. 

In this turn from the Year of the Rooster to the Year of the Dog, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you health and prosperity in the years to come.