23/F 363 Java Road, N Point
Hong Kong
Company Perspectives:
Mission: To provide our customers with a safe, reliable supply of gas and the caring, competent and efficient service they expect, while working to preserve, protect and improve our environment.
History of Hong Kong And China Gas Company Ltd.
Hong Kong and China Gas Company Ltd. (also known as Towngas) is the oldest public utility operating in Hong Kong. The company is also the sole supplier of piped gas to the Hong Kong region--the company far outdistances its primary LPG competitors. Towngas company has extended beyond Hong Kong itself, however, to claim a growing presence in mainland China. The company serves more than 1.5 million customers through a pipeline network of some 3,000 kilometers. On the Chinese mainland, the company is active in some 30 city gas pipeline projects--including six new projects added in 2004 alone. Most of the company's mainland operations are carried out through a number of joint ventures, including in Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Fangcun, Panyu, Beijing, Wuhan, Anquing, Maanshan, Shunde, and others. Towngas produces its own gas, mostly from two naphtha-based production plants in Hong Kong. Its entry into the mainland market has been aided by majority shareholder Henderson Investment's strong relationship with the Chinese government. Henderson Chairman Lee Shau Kee is also chairman of Towngas. In 2004, the company posted revenues of HKD 8.15 billion.
Beginnings in the 19th Century
Hong Kong and China Gas Company's origins stretch back to the 1860s, making it Hong Kong's--and China's--oldest public utility. Although incorporated in England in 1862, the company focused from the outset on the Hong Kong market, introducing the town's first piped gas in 1864. The company, which became popularly known as Towngas, built a 24-kilometer pipeline network that provided gas for 500 street lamps, as well as to a number of buildings in the British colony.
The company set up its own gas production facilities, using coal as its feedstock. Hong Kong Island remained the company's sole market until the end of the 19th century and through most of the 20th century as well. In the 1930s, Towngas faced a setback when one of its gasholders was destroyed in an explosion. In 1956, however, the company commissioned a new and larger gasholder at Ma Tau Kok. Four years later, the company listed its shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for the first time.
In the mid-1960s, Towngas began seeking an alternative feedstock source for its gas production. The company switched to fuel oil in 1967. By 1973, however, Towngas begun investigating the use of the more environmentally friendly naphtha for its feedstock. Then in 1977, the company converted most of its gas production to naphtha.
By then, Towngas had begun expanding its range of operations, adding the Chung Hom Kom and Stanley districts of Hong Kong Island in 1975. In that year, also, the company began supplying gas to the nearby Kowloon peninsula for the first time, in a joint venture with the Hong Kong Housing Authority. This new market helped the company boost its total customer base to more than 170,000 by 1980.
After 120 years as a British corporation, Towngas transferred its registration to Hong Kong. Part of the motivation behind this move came from the arrival of Hong Kong property development tycoon Lee Shau Kee, through Henderson Land, as Towngas's majority shareholder. In 1983, Lee took over as Towngas chairman.
Lee Shau Kee, whose father had operated a money-changing business in Guangzhou prior to China's Communist revolution, was sent to Hong Kong in 1948 with half of the family's assets (the other half was sent to Macau with Lee's brother). By 1958, Lee had entered the real estate market, taking advantage of the boom in the Hong Kong property market. In 1972, Lee had decided to focus on property development, founding Henderson Land Development in 1973, and, in 1975, acquiring Wing Tai, which later became Henderson Investment. Through Henderson Land Development, Lee established himself as one of Hong Kong's top businessmen, building a fortune worth billions of dollars.
Powering Growth in the 1980s
Lee, who remained chairman of Henderson, was to play an important role in Towngas's expansion, not least because of his strong relationship with mainland Chinese authorities, as well as his powerful economic position in Hong Kong. Under Lee, Towngas launched a new period of expansion.
Towngas now became interested in widening its reach to include all of the Hong Kong region, including Kowloon and the New Territories. In support of this, the company began building a new high-pressure pipeline to bring gas to the New Territories. Towngas's connection with Henderson provided the company with a solid foundation for growth; Henderson played a leading role in developing the New Territories, outfitting its residential developments so that they could be connected to Towngas's pipeline. At the same time, the Hong Kong government also chose to outfit its own new housing developments for Towngas's gas. Towngas's penetration in the region's new housing developments reached up to 90 percent during the decade.
By 1983, the company boasted more than 300,000 customers. By 1989, the company had more than doubled that figure, topping 617,000 customers by mid-1989. In order to ensure its gas supply for its rapidly growing network, Towngas launched construction of a new gas production plant at Tai Po Plant in the early 1980s. The company commissioned the first phase of that plant in 1986. That facility rapidly ramped up its production, and by the end of the decade, the Tai Po plant supplied some 86 percent of Towngas's supply requirements.
Towngas continued its rapid growth into the new decade, topping 760,000 customers in 1991. The company increased its production capacity, spending some HKD 1 billion (approximately $120 million) to triple capacity at its main Tai Po gasworks in the early 1990s. The company also extended its gas pipeline to new parts of Hong Kong, reaching Yuen Long in 1991, and Tuen Mun and Tin Shui in 1992.
In 1994, Towngas launched construction of a new pipeline to extend its reach to Lantau Island. That area was expected to experience a strong population with the opening of a new airport serving the Hong Kong market. The company also targeted expansion into the fast-growing Discovery Bay area in the mid-1990s. At the same time, Towngas launched a series of initiatives to encourage customers to abandon a number of electrical appliances in favor of gas-driven appliances. As such, the company teamed up with appliance maker Renal, based in Japan, to develop a gas-powered clothes dryer adapted to the Hong Kong market. The two companies also began designing a new stove incorporating a gas-driven rice cooker. For the restaurant sector, the company helped develop a gas-fired pig roaster capable of roasting from six to ten pigs at a time. These initiatives helped boost the group's customer base past the one million mark by 1994.
Mainland Expansion for the New Century
Yet Towngas began looking forward to new markets by the mid-1990s. Initially, the company investigated expansion opportunities elsewhere in the Southeast Asian region. In 1993, however, the company's interest turned to the underdeveloped Chinese mainland, which led to a first feasibility study that year. This quickly led to a joint venture agreement to establish gas distribution operations in the cities of Panyu and Zhongsan. These projects got underway in 1995. The following year, the company added a new joint venture to enter the city of Zhonshan as well.
Towngas quickly lined up new joint ventures: In 1996, the company signed agreements to enter Guangzhou, Fangcun, Shenzhen, Shantou, Dongguan, and Zhauhai in the Guangdong region. The first of these, Guangzhou and Fangcun, launched operations by the following year. Once again, the company's relationship with Lee Shau Kee helped pave the way for its rapid growth in these new markets.
Towngas's expansion onto the mainland took on greater importance in the early 2000s, as its total customer base topped 1.5 million. While this made the company the largest gas supplier in the Asian region, it also meant that it had reached, for the most part, the limits of its growth in Hong Kong itself, a market that counted only 1.7 million households. Yet the extension of its network onto the mainland was not the company's only effort at future expansion.
In 2000, the company launched a number of diversification efforts, such as the creation of GH-Fusion Ltd., a subsidiary dedicated to the production of polyethylene fittings for the mainland market, launched in 2000. The company also set up ECO Energy Company Ltd., which began constructing LPG filling stations in West Kowloon and Chai Wan. In another direction, Towngas began producing dry ice using the carbon dioxide produced as a byproduct of its gas production process.
Nonetheless, growth on the mainland remained Towngas's primary motor into the 2000s. In 2001, the company formed its first joint venture beyond Guangdong, with a project to begin supplying the Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu province. This was followed shortly after by joint ventures in Yixing, also in Jiangsu, and in Qingdao and Laoshan. By 2002, the company's gas pipeline network topped 3,000 kilometers for the first time.
Towngas's mainland prospects were buoyed with the Chinese government's decision to deregulate the country's piped-gas market. In order to enhance its fast-growing position in the country, Towngas announced its intention to launch investments of more than HKD 1 billion in 2003. The company also stated that it was considering a separate stock market listing for its mainland operations by as early as 2006.
In the meantime, Towngas continued to build out its mainland network, adding six new joint ventures in China in 2004 alone. These included agreements in Anhui province for a gas midstream project, and the creation of a city piped-gas venture in Huzhou. By early 2005, the company had entered the Beijing market as well. Backed by Lee Shau Kee and Henderson Investment, Towngas appeared certain to play a major role in China's gas utility market in the new century.
Principal Subsidiaries: Anquing Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%); Barnaby Assets Ltd.; Changzhou Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%); Danetop Services Ltd.; ECO Energy Company Ltd.; Empire Bridge Investments Ltd.; Hong Kong & China Gas (China) Ltd.; Hong Kong & China Gas Investment Ltd.; Maanshan Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%); Monarch Properties Ltd.; Nanjing Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%); Pathview Properties Ltd.; Planwise Properties Ltd.; Prominence Properties Ltd.; P-Tech Engineering Company Ltd.; Quality Testing Services Ltd.; Shunde Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%); Starmax Assets Ltd.; Summit Result Development Ltd.; Superfun Enterprises Ltd.; Suzhou Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%); Taian Taishan Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%); Towngas Enterprise Ltd.; Towngas International Company Ltd.; Towngas Investment Company Ltd.; Towngas Technologies Ltd.; Towngas Telecommunications Fixed Network Ltd.; Upwind International Ltd.; U-Tech Engineering Company Ltd.; Uticom Ltd.; Weifang Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%); Weihai Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%); Wuhan Natural Gas Company Ltd. (China; 50%); Zibo Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (China; 50%).
Principal Competitors: Shenyang Gas Company General; Beijing Coal Gas Co.; XinAo Gas Holdings Ltd.; Hongkong Electric Holdings Limited; Changchun Gas Company Ltd.; Tianjin Tianlian Public Utilities Company Ltd.; Dongguan SHV LPG Company Ltd.; Sinolink Worldwide Holdings Ltd.; Panva Gas Holdings Ltd.; CLP Holdings Limited; CNOOC Limited.
Related information about Hong Kong
(Special administrative region of China)
Timezone GMT +8 Area 1066 km族/412 sq mi
population total (2000e) 6 967 000
Capital Hong Kong Languages English and Cantonese
(official), with Mandarin widely spoken Ethnic groups
Chinese (98%), including many illegal immigrants from China and
refugees from Vietnam; 59% of population born in Hong Kong, 37% in
China Religions Buddhist, Taoist and Confuncianist
majorities, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish minorities
Physical features Located off the coast of SE China, on the
South China Sea; divided into Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and New
Territories (includes most of the colony's 235 islands); highest
point, Tai Mo Shan, 957 m/3140 ft; hilly terrain, sharply
indented coastline; natural harbour between Kowloon and Hong Kong
Island; built-up areas on artificially levelled or reclaimed land.
Climate Subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and
cool, dry winters; average annual temperatures 16属C (Jan), 29属C
(Jul); average annual rainfall 2225 mm/88 in.
Currency 1 Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) = 100 cents Economy
Based on banking, import-export trade, tourism, shipbuilding, and a
diverse range of light industry; an important freeport acting as a
gateway to China for the West; economy hit by Sars epidemic (2003).
GDP (2002e) $198揃5 bn, per capita $27 200 Human
Development Index (2002) 0揃888 History Ceded to Britain,
1842; New Territories leased to Britain, 1898; occupied by the
Japanese in World War 2; British Crown Colony, Governor represented
the British Crown, advised by an Executive Council; in 1997,
Britain's 99-year lease of the New Territories expired, whereupon
Hong Kong was restored to China; China has designated Hong Kong a
special administrative region from 1997; it will remain a freeport,
foreign markets will be retained, and the Hong Kong dollar will
remain as official currency; new Chief Executive appointed (first
incumbent, Tung Chee-hwa), with new membership of advisory
councils; however, anxiety over the colony's political future
remains.featured
article
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's
Republic of China ((zh-ts|t=??????????????|s=??????????????;)
Hanyu Pinyin:
Zh?nghuテ。 Rテゥnmテュn Gテイnghテゥguテウ Xi?ngg?ng Tティbiテゥ Xテュngzhティngq?;
pronunciation) is one of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of the
People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being
Macau. The Hong Kong
Government officially changed the name of Hongkong to
Hong Kong on 3
September 1926 Hongkong
Government Gazette, Notification 479, 3 September 1926.
Hong Kong is on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta on
the southeastern coast of China, facing the South China Sea in the south, and bordering
Guangdong Province in
the north. Hong Kong is China's richest region, has one of the
world's most liberal economies and is a major international centre of
finance and trade.
Hong Kong was a British colony from 1842, until its sovereignty was transferred to the PRC in 1997. It is
governed as a special administrative region under the Basic Law of Hong
Kong. Under the terms of the Sino-British
Joint Declaration, the PRC has promised that Hong Kong will
have a relatively high degree of autonomy until at
least 2047, fifty years after the transfer of sovereignty. Under
the "One Country, Two Systems" policy, it retains its own
legal system,
currency, customs policy,
cultural delegation, international sport teams, and immigration laws.
History
The area now known as Hong Kong became an important trading region
and a significant strategic location for the Chinese mainland
during the Tang and
Song dynasties. Hong Kong's
earliest recorded non-Asian visitor was the Portuguese mariner Jorge テ〕vares who
arrived in 1513. テ〕vares began trading with the Chinese, and the
Portuguese continued to make periodic trade stops at various
locations along the coast.
Tea, silk, and other Asian luxury goods were introduced
in Europe by the Portuguese, and by the mid-18th century these
items were in high demand, particularly tea. During the war,
Hong Kong
Island was first occupied by the British, and then formally
ceded by the Qing
Dynasty of China in 1842 under the Treaty of
Nanking.
Hong Kong became a crown colony in 1843. The Kowloon Peninsula
south of Boundary
Street and Stonecutter's Island was ceded to the British in 1860
under the Convention of Peking after the Second Opium War.
Various adjacent lands, known as the New Territories
(including New
Kowloon and Lantau
Island), were then leased by Britain for 99 years, from 1 July 1898 to 30
June 1997. The first
specially-recruited Hong Kong civil servants to be taught Cantonese were
recruited in 1862, markedly improving relations.
Hong Kong entered a dark age during the Japanese
Occupation of World
War II, which lasted for three years and eight months. Many
refugees escaped to Hong Kong fearing the new Communist government in
China.
Hong Kong had been a trade port ever since the British occupation,
but its position as an entrepot declined greatly after the United Nations ordered a
trade embargo against the People's Republic of China as a result of
the Korean War. Its
position as an entrepot was revived when the Open Door Policy was
adopted by the PRC in the late 1970s under Deng Xiaoping.
In the 1980s, with the lease on the New Territories running out,
the British government, led by Margaret Thatcher, decided to negotiate the
question of the sovereignty of Hong Kong.
Pursuant to an agreement known as the Sino-British
Joint Declaration, signed by the People's
Republic of China and the United Kingdom on 19 December 1984, the whole territory of Hong Kong under British
colonial rule became
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the PRC on 1 July 1997. In the Joint Declaration, the PRC promised
that under the "One Country, Two Systems" policy proposed by Deng
Xiaoping, the socialist economic system in mainland China would not be practised
in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong's previous capitalist system and life-style would remain
unchanged for at least 50 years, or until 2047.
The Joint Declaration came into particular focus in June 1989 when
the PRC authorities in Beijing moved with particular severity
against "pro-democracy" demonstrators in Tiananmen Square and
elsewhere in Beijing. In
the (then) colony of Hong Kong there was immediate concern about
Hong Kong's future, a fall in the stock market and general disquiet.
Hong Kong was transferred to the PRC at midnight on 1 July 1997, with the last governor, Chris Patten, leaving on
the royal yacht.
Soon after the handover in July, land values in Hong Kong collapsed
substantially and expedited the burst of the bubble economy, as part
of the Asian
financial crisis. and the Hang Seng Index fell by over
1,500 points on 28
October 1997, losing
22.8% of its value in a week.
Hong Kong was hit badly by the outbreak of the SARS virus beginning in mid-March
through the summer of 2003. This exacerbated the region's economic
problems, especially in the effect that it had on travel to and
from Hong Kong.
On 1 July the same year,
half a million people marched in the largest protest rally ever
aimed at the government of Hong Kong, voicing concerns about a
proposed anti-subversion bill that would have eroded freedom of the
press, of religion and of association arising from Article
23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law, as well as dissatisfaction with
the poor state of the economy. Regina Ip, then Secretary for Security, and Antony Leung, then Financial Secretary, were forced to leave office in 2003
under public pressure (though Antony Leung left office for reason
unrelated to the SARS and Article 23 crisis, he gave in to public
pressure after his involvement in the 'Lexusgate' scandal).
On 10 March 2005, Tung Chee Hwa submitted his
resignation as chief executive of Hong Kong. Donald Tsang, the Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong, served
as Acting Chief Executive until 25 May, when he, too, resigned to take part in the
campaign for the new Chief Executive election.
Politics and government
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is headed by its
Chief
Executive, the head of government. Retrieved 14 May 2006. on 16 June 2005.
Tsang had held the post of Chief Secretary for Administration previously. he will
finish the remaining portion of Tung Chee Hwa's last term, which ends on 30 June 2007, according to the interpretation of Annex I
and Article 46 by the Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress.
The election of a new Chief Executive by the 800-member Election Committee
was expected to be held on 10 July 2005. On
16 June 2005, Donald Tsang was acclaimed
the winner, as the only candidate securing the required 100
nominations from members of the election committee. Tung Chee Hwa,
the first Chief Executive, assumed office on 1 July 1997, following his election by a 400-member
electoral
college. Legislative Council elections
were held on 24 May
1998, 10 September 2000, and again on 12 September 2004, with the next election
scheduled for 2008. According to the Basic Law, Hong
Kong's "mini-constitution", the present third term of the Legislative
Council has 30 seats directly elected from geographical
constituencies, and 30 seats elected from functional
constituencies. The 1998, 2000 and 2004 Legislative Council elections were seen as free,
open, and widely contested, despite discontent among mainly
'pro-democratic' politicians, who contended that the functional
constituency elections and the Election Committee elections (for
1998 and 2000) were undemocratic, as they consider that the
electorate for these seats is too narrow.
The civil service of Hong Kong maintains its quality and neutrality
following its tradition in the colonial times, operating without
discernible direction from Beijing. Many government and administrative operations
are located in Central on Hong Kong Island near the historical
location of Victoria
City, the site of the original British settlements.
The right of abode issue sparked debates in 1999, while the
controversy over Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 was the focus of
politics in Hong Kong between 2002 and 2003, culminating in a
peaceful mass demonstration (over 500,000 demonstrators) on
1 July 2003, after which the government
still tried to pass the law to the Legislative Council. Retrieved
27 May 2006. to the issue Third annual report by
the European Commission on the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region of universal suffrage towards the end of 2003 and in 2004,
which was the slogan of another mass demonstration on 1 July 2004.
On 24 September
2005, 25 Hong Kong
pro-democracy Legco members, some of whom were previously labelled
as traitors by Beijing after the 1989 Tiananmen Square
crackdown and barred from entering the mainland, crossed the
border into the southern province of Guangdong, following an unprecedented invitation
by the PRC "Hong Kong democrats visit
China", ABC News
Online, September 25, 2005. The invitation was generally
regarded as one of the greatest goodwill gestures from the PRC to
the Hong Kong democrats since the Tiananmen Square massacre.
On 4 December
2005, a demonstration was organised by
the Civil
Human Rights Front and pro-democracy lawmakers to demand a timetable for
universal suffrage to be included in political reform proposals for
the 2007 and 2008 elections for the Chief Executive and the
Legislative Council respectively. On 22 December 2005, the reforms, proposed by the Chief Executive of Hong
Kong, Donald Tsang, were defeated by the pro-democracy camp
after they failed to reach the necessary two-third threshold with
34 votes in favour and 24 opposed. The defeat also did little to
blunt Tsang's popularity, with his approval ratings only dropping
from 82 to 79% in the wake of the vote.
After the transfer of sovereignty, Hong Kong maintains its own
delegation but changes its designation from "Hong Kong" to "Hong
Kong, China" in most international organizations, such as the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and to international
sporting events, such as the Olympic Games. --> and the diplomatic
relations of Hong Kong are the responsibilities of the Central
People's Government in Beijing.
Legal system and judiciary
In contrast to mainland China's civil law
system, Hong Kong continues to follow the common law tradition
established by British colonial rule. Article 84 of the Basic Law of Hong
Kong allows Hong Kong's courts to refer to decisions (precedents) rendered by
courts of other common law jurisdictions. Articles 82 and 92 allow
invite judges from other common law jurisdictions to participate in
proceedings of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal and sit as Hong Kong
judges.
Structurally, Hong Kong's court system consists of the Court of
Final Appeal which replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the High Court,
which is made up of the Court of
Appeal and the Court
of First Instance, and the District
Court, which includes the Family Court.
The Basic Law
of Hong Kong is subject to interpretation by the Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress (NPC:SC) and this power has been invoked three times:
the right of abode issue, an interpretation regarding
post-2008 election procedures, and an interpretation regarding the
length of the term of the Chief Executive.
As in England, lawyers in Hong Kong are
classified as either barristers or solicitors, where one can choose to practice as either
one but not both (but it is possible to switch from one to an other
and vice-versa ). The vast majority of lawyers are solicitors, who are licensed and regulated by the Law Society
of Hong Kong. Barristers, on the other hand, are licensed and
regulated by the Hong Kong Bar Association. Only barristers are allowed to
appear in the Court of Final Appeal and the High Court. Just
as the common law
system is maintained, so are British courtroom customs such as
the wearing of robes and wigs by both judges and lawyers.
Geography
Hong Kong consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. The Kowloon Peninsula is
attached to the New Territories in the north, and the New
Territories are in turn connected to mainland China across the
Sham Chun River
(Shenzhen River). In total, Hong Kong has 236 islands in the
South China Sea,
of which Lantau is
the largest. Ap Lei
Chau is the most densely populated island in the world.
The name "Hong Kong", literally meaning "fragrant harbour", is
derived from the area around present-day Aberdeen and
Wong Chuk Hang on
Hong Kong Island, where fragrant trees were once abundant and
widely exported. The body of water between Hong Kong Island and
Kowloon Peninsula is Victoria Harbour, one of the deepest natural maritime
ports in the world. The
highest point in the territory is Tai Mo Shan, at a height of 958 metres (3,142 ft). Lowlands
exist in the northwestern part of the New Territories.
Hong Kong is 60 kilometres (37 miles) east of Macau, on the opposite side of the Pearl River Delta and
borders the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province.
Climate
Hong Kong's
climate is subtropical and prone to monsoons. It is cool and dry in the wintertime which lasts from
around January to March, and is hot, humid and rainy from spring through
summer. The territory is
situated south of the Tropic of Cancer which is approximate to Hawaii in latitude.
Administrative divisions
Hong Kong consists of 18 administrative districts:
- Islands
- Kwai
Tsing (Kwai
Chung and Tsing
Yi)
- North
- Sai
Kung
- Sha
Tin
- Tai
Po
- Tsuen
Wan
- Tuen
Mun
- Yuen
Long
- Kowloon
City
- Kwun
Tong
- Sham
Shui Po
- Wong Tai
Sin
- Yau
Tsim Mong (Yau Ma
Tei, Tsim Sha
Tsui and Mong
Kok)
- Central and Western
- Eastern
- Southern
- Wan
Chai
There are several cities
and towns within Hong Kong, the largest of which include
Kowloon, Victoria
(Hong Kong
Island), Tseun Wan New Town, and Sha Tin New Town. Economists fear that this will
severely harm tourists' shopping and local consumer
spending"www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6559
It is the world's 11th largest trading entity and 13th largest
banking centre."About Hong Kong", Government
Information Centre It has a laissez-faire capitalist system, which according to the Index of Economic
Freedom and the Economic Freedom of the World Report is the freest
economy on earth. It has one of the world's most liberal
economies and is a major international centre of finance and trade. (Even New York City, host of the
United Nations,
has only 93 consulates.)
The objective of Hong Kong's monetary policy is to maintain
currency stability. Given the highly externally-oriented nature of
the economy, this objective was further defined as a stable
external value for the Hong Kong dollar in terms of a linked exchange rate against the
US dollar at the rate of approximately HK$7.80 to one United States
dollar until 2005, when it was allowed to trade within a band
of HK$7.75–$7.85.
Hong Kong has limited natural resources, and most food and raw materials must be imported. In fact,
imports and
exports (including
re-exports) exceed the GDP of Hong Kong. Hong Kong has extensive trade
and investment ties with the People's
Republic of China which existed even before the handover on 1
July 1997. Retrieved 27
May 2006. The territory, with a highly sophisticated banking sector
and good communication links, hosts the Asian headquarters of many multinational
corporations.
At USD
$37,400 www.photius.com/rankings/economy/gdp_per_capita_2006_0.html
in 2006, the real per
capita GDP of Hong Kong is somewhat higher than that of the
four big economies of western Europe which is around USD $30,000.
To further increase economic co-operation between Hong Kong and the
mainland, the Individual Visit Scheme was started on 28 July 2003, which allows travellers from some cities in
mainland China to visit Hong Kong without an accompanying tour
group. In addition, Hong Kong's 68-month-long deflationary
spiral, the longest and highest deflation Guinness World Records:
Lowest Inflation INACTIVE 27 May 2006 according to
Guinness
World Records, ended in mid-2004, with consumer price inflation hovering at near
zero levels.
Along with Singapore,
South Korea and
Taiwan, ROC, Hong Kong's
fast-paced industrialisation earned it a place as one of the four
original East
Asian Tigers.
Hong Kong enjoys low rates of both personal and corporate taxation.
About 96% of Hong Kong's population are of Chinese descent, the
majority of which are Cantonese. Since the British handover to China, a new
group of immigrants from mainland China have increased the ethnic diversity of
the Chinese population and intensified the usage of Mandarin in
the territory, in addition to the indirect effects of closer
communication with mainland China, where Mandarin is the official
language.
The remaining 4% of the population is composed of non-ethnic
Chinese, who form a highly visible group (see Lan Kwai Fong and Tai-Pan) despite their small
numbers, and other foreign nationals.
Among these is a significant South Asian population, which includes some of Hong
Kong's wealthiest families. Some Nepalis residing in Hong Kong are Gurkhas who, along with their
families and descendants, chose to stay after their service to
Britain. More than 15,000 Vietnamese, who came to Hong Kong as refugees, have become permanent
residents, the majority of whom survive on casual work. Around
130,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong as domestic helpers and
housekeepers, often known locally as amahs, or feiyungs, with other such
workers coming from Thailand and Indonesia. There are also a number of Europeans, North Americans, Japanese, and Koreans, largely working in Hong
Kong's financial sector.
The top three sources of migration to Hong Kong are the Philippines (132,770),
Indonesia (95,460),
and the United
States (31,330).
Hong Kong is the fifth largest metropolitan area of the PRC by
population. Hiking
and camping are popular
outdoor activities in Hong Kong's hilly country parks. The
irregular and long coastline of Hong Kong also provides many bays and fine
beaches for
its inhabitants.
Education
A former British colony, Hong Kong's education system is roughly based upon that of the
United Kingdom, and in particular, the system used in
England. There are eight public universities in Hong Kong, and a number of
private higher institutions.
Hong Kong's public schools are operated by the Education and
Manpower Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region. www.emb.gov.hk/index.aspx?nodeID=4369&langno=1
The system features a non-compulsory three-year kindergarten, followed by a
compulsory six-year primary education, three-year junior secondary education;
a non-compulsory two-year senior secondary education leading to the
Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examinations
and a two-year matriculation course leading to the Hong
Kong Advanced Level Examinations. There are also tertiary institutions
offering various Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees, other
higher diplomas,
and associate
degree courses.
Most comprehensive schools in Hong Kong fall under three
categories: government schools (rare), subsidised schools and
private schools. Subsidised schools are by far the most common
type, and include government-aided and grant schools, run by
charitable organisations often with religious affiliations (mostly
Christian, but
Buddhist, Taoist, Islamic and Confucian as well). This is reflected in all aspects of
the culture, but especially in its shopping, nightlife, and dining.
A popular destination for shoppers from around the world, Hong Kong
has everything to offer from the latest European fashion to
traditional Chinese wares. The largest concentration of these shops
is along Bonham
Strand and Bonham Strand West in Sheung Wan, where all types of pills, plants, and
dried animals are for sale.
Hong Kong has an active nightlife centred on two major
entertainment districts, Lan Kwai Fong (Central) and Wanchai. Western-style theatre and various forms of traditional Chinese opera co-exist on
local stages.
The world famous Hong Kong International Dragonboat Festival, now
known as the Circus Capital Stanley Dragon Boat Championships, is a
celebration
of community that is televised globally.
Religion
Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of religious freedom, a right
enshrined and protected through its constitutional document, the
Basic Law. The majority of Hong Kong's population practices
ancestor
worship due to the strong Confucian influence. Interestingly, it is not uncommon
for living room to have a Crucifix as well as a Bhudda statue.
offerings are burnt in respect.
With the transfer of Hong Kong to the PRC, there were significant
concerns over religious freedom in Hong Kong. So far, this has proved
mostly unfounded - despite the banning of the Falun Gong movement by
Beijing in 1999,
adherents are still free to practice in Hong Kong. Similarly, the
Catholic
Church is free to appoint its own bishops in Hong Kong, unlike
on mainland China, where the only approved 'Catholic' institution
is the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which
bishops and priests are appointed by Beijing (though there is also
an unofficial and illegal part of the Catholic church that
maintains contact with the Vatican). A significant issue in the
normalisation of ties between the PRC and the Vatican is Beijing's
insistence that the Vatican drops its diplomatic ties with the
ROC.
Although freedom of religion remains true in Hong Kong, it remains
a volatile issue for many, as any threat will have lasting
implications for the perceived freedoms in Hong Kong.
Architecture
Due to the creative destruction so endemic to Hong Kong over the
past 50 years, few historical buildings remain in Hong Kong. In
Kowloon, which once
included the anarchistic settlement called the Kowloon Walled City,
strict height restrictions were in force until Kai Tak Airport closed
in 1998, but these restrictions have now been lifted, and several
new skyscrapers in Kowloon are being planned. Hong Kong's
best-known building is arguably Ieoh Ming Pei's Bank of China Tower, completed in 1990 and now
Hong Kong's third tallest skyscraper. Both banks' buildings are
featured on many of Hong Kong's banknotes.
The tallest building in Hong Kong is Two
International Finance Centre. One of the largest construction
projects in Hong Kong and the world was the new Hong Kong
International Airport on Chek Lap Kok near Lantau, a huge land reclamation project linked to the
centre of Hong Kong by the Lantau Link, which features three new major bridges: Tsing Ma, the world's
sixth largest suspension bridge;
Transport
Hong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transport network,
encompassing both public and private transport. The Octopus card stored value
smart card payment
system can be used to pay for fares on almost all railways, buses
and ferries in Hong Kong. All parking meters in Hong Kong accept payment by
Octopus card only, and Octopus card payment can be made at various
car parks.
Hong Kong Island is dominated by steep, hilly terrain, and
sometimes unusual methods of transport have been devised to ease
movement up and down the slopes. In Central and
Western district there is an extensive system of escalators and moving sidewalks,
including the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the
world, the Mid-levels Escalator.
Hong Kong has several different modes of public rail transport. The
two metro systems for the
city are the MTR (Mass
Transit Railway) and KCR
which acts as a link between Hong Kong and mainland China (KCR also
operates a light rail
system in northwest New Territories). The tramway system covers
the northern parts of Hong Kong Island and is the only tram system in the world run
exclusively by double
deckers.
Five separate companies operate franchised public bus services in Hong Kong. They are
now used almost exclusively in Hong Kong, just as in Dublin and London. the rest are still diesel
operated.
" ferries are licensed to serve remote coastal settlements.
Hong Kong has one active international airport, known as Hong Kong
International Airport located at Chek Lap Kok. After dreadful delays in the cargo
systems in the first few months, the airport now serves as a
transport hub for Southeast Asia, and as the hub for Cathay Pacific
Airways, Dragonair, Air Hong Kong and Hong Kong Express. Additionally, both Hong Kong
International Airport and Cathay Pacific Airways have been voted best in the
world, in the airport and airline criteria respectively, by
Skytrax from 2001 to
2005. The recent opening of Sunny Bay Station of the MTR allows easy access to the Disneyland
Resort.
While the traffic in
mainland China
drives on the
right, Hong Kong still maintains its own road rules, with
traffic continuing to drive on the left. Before the British handover to PRC
sovereignty, defence were provided by the British military, who
stationed soldiers in barracks throughout Hong Kong, including the
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong. Its finance was
supported by the Hong Kong Government.
The People's Republic of China Central
People's Government (CPG) assumed sovereignty over Hong Kong on
1 July 1997 and stationed a garrison of the People's Liberation
Army (PLA) to manage its defence affairs. The Hong Kong
Garrison, composed of ground, naval,
and air forces, is
under the command of the Chinese Central Military
Commission. The garrison subsequently opened its barracks on
Stonecutters
Island and Chek Chu to the public to promote understanding and
trust between the troops and residents.
Under British rule, ethnic Chinese Hong Kong residents (and other
Hong Kong residents) were able to join the British
Forces Overseas Hong Kong.
International rankings
Table of Hong Kong International Rankings
Date |
Context |
Organization |
Ranking |
Note
|
2001
|
World's Best Airports |
Skytrax |
1/155 countries |
Ranked 1st out of 155 countries
|
2002
|
World's Best Airports |
Skytrax |
1/155 countries |
Ranked 1st out of 155 countries
|
2003
|
World's Best Airports |
Skytrax |
1/155 countries |
Ranked 1st out of 155 countries
|
2004
|
World's Best Airports |
Skytrax |
1/155 countries |
Ranked 1st out of 155 countries
|
2004
|
Third annual
worldwide press freedom index |
Reporters without borders |
34/167 Countries |
Ranked 34th out of 167 countries
|
2005
|
World's Best Airports |
Skytrax |
1/155 countries |
Ranked 1st out of 155 countries
|
2006
|
Corruption
Perceptions Index |
Transparency International |
15/159 Countries |
Ranked 15th out of 159 countries
|
2006
|
Index of Economic Freedom |
Heritage
Foundation/The Wall Street Journal: 2006 |
1/157 Countries |
Ranked 1st out of 157 Countries for 11 years in a
row.
|
2005
|
Worldwide
quality-of-life index |
The
Economist |
18/111 Countries |
Ranked 18th out of 111 countries
|
2006
|
World Competitiveness Yearbook
2006 |
IMD
International |
2/61 Economies |
Ranked 2nd out of 61 economies (countries and
regions)
|
2006
|
World City's
Skyline/Skyscrapers |
Emporis Data Committee
(EDC) |
1/100 Major cities |
Ranked #1 out of all the major cities in the World. ISBN
962-7489-01-8.
Footnotes
While the names of most cities of the PRC are romanised into
English using Pinyin, the official English name is Hong
Kong rather than Xi?ngg?ng.
|
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