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Hong
Kong's dual destiny as a world class city and the digital
hub for Asia was brilliantly captured in ITU Telecom Asia
2000, staged at HKCEC from 4 to 9 December 2000.
 This
was the first major International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) event to be hold in China. It also made history as the
largest telecommunications event ever held in Asia.
With a
net exhibition area of 27,896 m2, up 48.5% from
Asia Telecom 97, more than 30 countries were represented.
Among the 13 pavilions, the Hong Kong Pavilion, at 2,200 m2,
was the largest, even when the pavilions of such major players
as France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United
States were taken into account.
Yet, in
this global age, it is important to recognise that co-operation
is as vital as competition when it comes to driving the new
economy forward. As Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee
Hwa, put matters at the opening ceremony, "Hong Kong is honoured
to be hosting this signal event on the international telecommunications
calendar. It allows our business and the community to keep
abreast of the latest achievements in telecommunications."
 Rather
like the Hong Kong SAR itself, the HKCEC is an entity that
knows the value of learning and continuous improvement as
well as aspiring to leadership. The statistics for ITU Telecom
Asia 2000 show how successful these twin emphases have been.
A total of 51,056 participants attended, including 28,450
quality trade visitors, and 30 countries and regions were
represented. A conjoint forum also proved extremely popular.
Said Mr
Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the ITU, "We were fortunate
to have the HKCEC as our hosts, since the spacious halls make
this an ideal venue for a multi-faceted event. We were extremely
well looked after by the management and operational staff,
and we were impressed by the overall professionalism and quality
demonstrated by the HKCEC." We are deeply grateful for the
accolade, and look forward to working even harder to help
keep Hong Kong, Mainland China and Asia up there with the
leaders in the global telecommunications revolution.
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