| This
is the first issue of volume 9 (year 2006). This issue is a
special issue for the World Business Forum, which was held on
21 April 2005 in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The forum was hosted by the School of Business & Administration,
The Open University of Hong and brought together leading academics,
policymakers and business professionals from Hong Kong, mainland
China and Taiwan for an in-depth discussion and analysis of
the most pressing economic issues facing the Greater China Region.
The presentations of four distinguished speakers and the record
of the panel discussion are published in this special issue.
The first article is the presentation by Mr Sun
Lei, Deputy Chief, Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation
of Guangzhou Municipality. The presentation discussed the opportunities
for trade and economic cooperation between Hong Kong and Guangzhou
in the context of the proposed Pan Pearl River Delta Economic
Cooperation.
The second article is the presentation by Prof.
Yeh Ryh-song (based on an article co-authored with Beryl Li-Hwa
Kuo) of The Chinan University, Taiwan. The presentation inspected
the impact of the Taiwanese investment in mainland China on
the home economy of Taiwan.
The third article is the presentation by Prof. Wang
Tongsan, Director of the Institute of Quantitative and Technical
Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The presentation
gave an analysis of the economic situation of China in 2004
and a forecast for the economy of China in 2005.
The fourth article is the presentation by Prof. Zhou
Wenqian, Former Vice President of Zhejiang University. The presentation
pointed out some new directions for trade and economic cooperation
between the Yangtze River Delta Region and Hong Kong, Macau
and Taiwan.
The fifth article is the record of the panel discussion
on the challenges and opportunities for Hong Kong in the context
of its economic integration with the mainland. The panel discussion
was chaired by the Vice President (Academic) of the Open University
of Hong Kong. The panel members included HKSAR Secretary for
Financial Services and the Treasury Mr Frederick Ma, Hong Kong
Retail Management Association Chairman Mr Bankee Kwan, and Ogilvy
and Mather Shanghai and South China Chairman and CEO Mr Joseph
Wang.
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