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REGISTRATION
FORM
Chinese
University of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies
The Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies was established in 1990 to promote multidisciplinary research on social, political and economic development. Its research emphasizes the role of Hong Kong in the Asia-Pacific region and the reciprocity between Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region in development. The Institute aims to serve as a bridge between overseas scholars in Asia-Pacific studies and teaching and research staff at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The Institute has established six strategic research programmes - the Gender Research Centre, Hong Kong and Asia-Pacific Economies, the Public Policy Research Centre, Social Indicators and Social Development of Hong Kong, the South China Programme, and Urban and Regional Development in Pacific Asia. There is a strong policy orientation in all of the research programmes being established.
The Institute's Telephone Survey Research Laboratory provides services to researchers who wish to use telephone survey techniques to facilitate their research. It also collects longitudinal public opinion data of academic and social value and regularly presents to the public results of telephone polls on public issues. The Laboratory welcomes sponsorship, commissions or collaboration from interested persons and organizations.
Hong
Kong
Hong Kong[4] (Chinese: 香港), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region [pronunciation], is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Macau. The territory lies on the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east, west and south. Beginning as a trading port in the 19th century, Hong Kong has developed into a leading financial centre.
Hong Kong was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1842 until the transfer of its sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997. The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong stipulate that Hong Kong operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2047, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's
defense and foreign affairs, while Hong Kong maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and delegates to international
organizations and events.
ABOUT HONG KONG
Hong Kong, described as a 'barren rock' over 150 years ago, has become a world-class financial, trading and business centre and, indeed, a great world city.
Hong Kong has no natural resources, except one of the finest deep-water ports in the world. A hardworking, adaptable and well-educated workforce of about 3.58 million, coupled with entrepreneurial flair, is the bedrock of Hong Kong's productivity and creativity.
Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on July 1, 1997, after a century and a half of British administration. Under Hong Kong's constitutional document, the Basic Law, the existing economic, legal and social systems will be maintained for 50 years. The SAR enjoys a high degree of autonomy except in defence and foreign affairs.
Location
Situated at the south-eastern tip of China, Hong Kong is ideally positioned at the centre of rapidly developing East Asia. With a total area of 1 104 square kilometres, it covers Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula just opposite, and the New Territories – the more rural section of Hong Kong, which also includes 262 outlying islands. [ HKSAR Map ] [ Hong Kong in its Regional Setting ]
Population
Hong Kong's population was about 6.94 million in mid-2005. The population density was 6 420 people per square kilometre. Hong Kong had a large foreign population of about 517 560. The top three nationalities came from the Philippines (130 810), Indonesia (114 020) and Thailand (28 360).
Language
Chinese and English are the official languages. English is widely used in the Government and by the legal, professional and business sectors. There is no shortage of well- educated competent bilingual or even trilingual professionals who speak English, Cantonese and Putonghua. These are vital staff for any enterprise trading in Hong Kong or doing business with the Mainland and Taiwan.
Climate
Hong Kong's climate is sub-tropical, tending towards the temperate for nearly half the year. Temperatures can drop below 10 degrees Celsius in winter and exceed 31 degrees Celsius in summer. About 90 per cent of the rainfall occurs between April and September. [ Hong Kong Ovservatory ]
Major International Trading Centre
Hong Kong is the world's 11th largest trading economy, the world's sixth largest foreign exchange market, the world's 15th largest banking centre, and Asia's second biggest stock market. Hong Kong is one of the world's top exporters of garments, watches and clocks, toys, games, electronic products and certain light industrial products.
Global Services Centre
Hong Kong was the world's 11th largest exporter of services in 2005. Travel and tourism, trade-related services, transportation services, financial and banking services and professional services are the main components of trade in services.
International Corporate Base
About 3 900 international corporations have established regional headquarters or offices in Hong Kong. The major types of business include the wholesale/retail and import/export trades, other business services (e.g. accounting, advertising and legal services), finance and banking, manufacturing, transport and related services.
Free Trade and Free Market
Hong Kong advocates and practises free trade – a free and liberal investment regime, the absence of trade barriers, no discrimination against overseas investors, freedom of capital movement, well-established rule of law, transparent regulations, and low and predictable taxation.
Small Government
Hong Kong has a small and efficient government structure. Corporate and personal taxes are low and simple to calculate. The HKSAR Government is well known for its efficiency, transparency and fairness. It is ready to lend a helping hand to business people and companies under a long-established philosophy of 'maximum help and minimum interference' for business.
Monetary System
The objective of Hong Kong's monetary policy is to maintain currency stability. Given the highly externally oriented nature of the economy, this objective is 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 $7.80 to US$1. This objective is achieved through the Linked Exchange Rate System introduced in October 1983.
The Rule of Law
Hong Kong has a well-established and trusted legal system based on the common law. The rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people and those living here are founded upon the impartial rule of law, an independent judiciary, a comprehensive system of legal aid, and a free and active press. [ Judiciary ]
Airport
Hong Kong is a major international and regional aviation centre. Hong Kong International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, is served by major international airlines that provide about 4 900 scheduled passenger services and 700 freight services weekly from Hong Kong to 139 cities worldwide. When fully developed, the airport will be able to handle up to 87 million passengers and 9 million tonnes of cargo a year. Hong Kong International Airport has been named the world's best airport from 2001 to 2005 in a survey conducted by British-based Skytrax Research.
Port
In 2005, Hong Kong handled 22.6 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of containers, making it the world's second busiest container port. The nine container terminals at Kwai Chung-Tsing Yi are under the management of five operators. Covering an area of 270 hectares, the container terminals provide 24 berths with 8 530-metre frontage. The water depth of the Kwai Chung-Tsing Yi basin is 15.5 metres and the total handling capacity of the terminals is over 18 million TEUs per year. During 2005, some 39 140 ocean-going vessels and 192 680 river trade vessels called at Hong Kong. These vessels handled 230.1 million tonnes of cargo and 21.5 million passengers.
(http://www.info.gov.hk/info/hkbrief/eng/ahk.htm)
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