The Commission on Strategic Development will meet on December 17 to discuss ways to strengthen Hong Kong's participation in East Asia regional co-operation.

The commission secretariat today issued a paper to explore ways to enhance Hong Kong's co-operation with its neighbours in the region, in particular the 10 ASEAN countries.

Proposal details

The paper suggests a multi-pronged approach for strategic consideration. This includes:

* participating in East Asia co-operation in a manner in line with China's overall strategy on the region;

* entering into more bilateral agreements on trade or services with individual ASEAN countries;

* removing obstacles to regional co-operation with East Asia at policy level;

* adopting a city-to-city mode of co-operation to extend our ties with major cities in ASEAN countries;

* expanding the scope of regional co-operation for the development of the six industries where Hong Kong enjoys advantages;

* establishing a "second track mechanism" and strengthen local universities' capacity for conducting research projects on East Asia;

* formulating forward-looking strategies; and

* watching out for opportunities available to Hong Kong as a result of co-operation in the Greater Mekong and Beibu Gulf sub-regions, and between Guangdong and ASEAN countries.

Strategy formulation

The paper invites members to advise on issues including:

* the opportunities and challenges for Hong Kong arising from the long-term development of East Asia regional co-operation;

* strategies to enhance the co-operation between Hong Kong and East Asian countries;

* the adequacy of existing efforts in enhancing Hong Kong's participation in East Asia regional co-operation and possible improvements to be made; and

* recommended actions for Hong Kong to enhance co-operation with East Asian countries in the short, medium and long term.

Click here for the discussion paper.