Industry Development - International and China Affairs
 
Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance (APICTA) Award 2008

The HKCS is proud of its history in assisting and encouraging the entrants of the Hong Kong ICT Awards to participate in the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Award. This year, APICTA 2008, the 8th IT award in Asia Pacific was successfully held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 11th to 16th November in 2008. 13 Hong Kong entries comprising 13 enterprises, institutions and organisations competed for awards in 16 different categories. The entries and a total number of 30 delegates participated in APICTA 2008. Mrs. Agnes Mak, MH, JP, Mr. Chan King Wa and Ir. Dr. George Sze represented Hong Kong in the panel of judges while Mr. Stephen Lau, JP and Dr. Johnny Ng represented Hong Kong as the members of the APICTA Executive Committee. With outstanding and excellent performance, the Hong Kong team won 1 grand prize and 3 merits.

The Delegation from Hong Kong had a great time in this 5-day event. A welcome reception was held by the host country for all APICTA delegates. Hong Kong in turn organised a reception on the following day. At this reception which was hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), our delegates showcased all our entrants to the guests. A sharing session entitled Radio Frequency Identification ("RFID") was also organised and held by Hong Kong the day after. The highlight of this year's APICTA Award was the Gala Dinner's Night which was officiated by the Vice President of Indonesia and where all the winners were announced and celebrated.

16 members economies, including Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, People Republic of China, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam supported this exceptional event. Since 2001, APICTA has functioned as a platform for innovators and entrepreneurs in the ICT sectors to benchmark their products. It helps stimulate economic and trade relations, technology transfer, business matching opportunities. It also serves as show case for invention and creation of ICT professionals in the Asia Pacific region.

The HKCS would like to extend our congratulations to all the Hong Kong entrants who already have achieved a track-record of success and recognition in Hong Kong, and in particular to the winners of the APICTA 2008. We would also like to express our thanks to OGCIO, the Hong Kong SAR Government and HKTDC for generous support and sponsorship.

 


The Winners of the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance Award (APICTA) 2008


 
Joint International Computer Conference (JICC) 2008 in Guangzhou

The 13th Joint International Computer Conference (JICC 2008) organised by the Guangzhou Municipality and Hong Kong Computer Society was successfully held on 21-22 November 2008 in Nansha, China. The event reached its success with abundant programmes attracting over 300 local and overseas delegates.

With the objectives of exchanging outsourcing experiences, discussing best practice in software outsourcing, and exploring business opportunities in IT outsourcing, the Conference brought together seasoned industry leaders and professionals from China, Hong Kong and overseas to share their insights on a wide variety of topics reflecting the conference theme - "Regional Collaboration with Unlimited Potential". Presentation topics of the conference included "Outlook of Future IT World", "Technology Development", "Business Collaboration and Innovations", etc. We were honoured to have the following renowned worldwide and local experts as our keynote speakers this year:


- Dr. Ya-Qin Zhang, Microsoft Corporate Vice President; Chairman of Microsoft China R&D Group
- Dr. David Liu, Honorable Chair Professor, Tsing Hua University Hsinchu
- Dr. Erik Baark, Professor and Acting Dean of Humanity and Social Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
- Mr. Wilson Wan, Vice General Manager & Business Development Director, IDC China
- Mr. Steven Davidson, Vice President and Partner, Asia Pacific & Greater China Leader, Strategy and Change Consulting Services, IBM Global Business Services

The HKCS wishes to express our appreciation to the host city - Guangzhou Municipality, members of the Organising and Programme Committees as well as the supporting crew for their dedication and hard work. Special thanks must go to our distinguished speakers for their invaluable contributions, and to all sponsors for their generous and unfailing support, without which the conference could not be as successful as we achieved.
 
Hong Kong IT Delegation to Chengdu

HKCS would also like to leverage our collective IT knowledge in the recovery from the disaster and also to show support for the local Chengdu IT industry. A delegation led by HKCS President Mr Sunny W K Lee to Chengdu was organised on 25-27 July. After sharing ideas with one another and gaining mutual understanding, the delegation proposed some major IT projects to the Chengdu local Government, including organising JICC2009 with Chengdu; launching 5.12 Face Recognition Action; introducing Kiosk Vehicle to enhance IT knowledge of the victims; developing platforms to manage the charity donation funds online and to administer the education matters and setting up Sichuan-Hong Kong Schools Online Cooperation Scheme

We would like to extend our thanks to the delegates and their hosts for their generous contributions and invaluable participation.
 
The 5th PRD Software Industry Forum

Maintaining a steady and strong relationship with the Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region has always been one of our foci. The 5th PRD Software Industry Forum organised by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) of the HKSAR Government and the Guangdong Information Industry Department (GIID) of the Central People's Government provided a platform for all parties concerned to exchange their ideas on the industry development in both regions.

The event was held at the Hong Kong Science Park during 14th - 15th of January 2008. The key goals of the forum were to explore more collaboration opportunities for ICT companies from both places and strengthen the development of the ICT industries in both Hong Kong and PRD. The HKCS organised a forum segment dedicated to Guangdong and Hong Kong Cooperation on IT Professional Certification. Together with the informative presentations interactive panel discussion session promoting IT manpower development, the Forum attracted over 100 delegates from various cities located around the PRD. The HKCS would like to extend its thanks to all attendees and organisers of the 5th PRD Software Industry Forum.
 
International/China Affairs Study Tour 2008 (Beijing & Wuhan)

The "HKCS Beijing & Wuhan Study Mission 2008", which was organised by the HKCS International/China Affairs Committee, was held from the 9th -13th of June. With the support of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR, the study tour provided our Distinguished Fellows and members with valuable opportunities in meeting with the IT-related central government officials and bodies, including the Ministry of Information Industry and the Ministry of Science and Technology. HKCS delegates gained a deeper understanding of the recent development in Mainland IT policy. This has fostered stronger cooperation, exchanging of ideas and experience between the IT communities in Beijing, Wuhan and Hong Kong. The delegation was also invited to join the Opening Ceremony of the International Software China 2008, a well-known event for exhibiting domestic software brands and the software industry development in China.
 
Asian-Oceania Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) ICT Summit 2008

The Asian-Oceania Computing Industry Organisation ICT Summit 2008 (the Summit), a regional annual event organised by Asian-Oceania Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) and Information and Software Industry Association (ISIA), was successfully held from 9-12 December 2008 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the theme of "Asia Oceania's Emerging Role in the Global Digital Creative Economy". Over 400 delegates from 18 economies attended the two-day summit and the overall response from the business sector and general public was very encouraging.


The Summit was officially opened by Mrs. Rita Lau, JP, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, The Government of the Hong Kong S.A.R., together with Prof. Pan Yong Hua, Director of General Education and Technology Department of Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong S.A.R, Dr. Ashank Desai, Chairman of ASOCIO, Mr. Richard Li, Honorable Chairman of ASOCIO 2008, Dr. C S Ng, Organising Committee Chairman of the Summit, Mrs. Satti Wong, Organising Committee Vice Chairman of the Summit, Mr. Charles Mok, Head of the Summit Programme Sub-committee and Mr. Aldous Ng, Chairman of Information and Software Industry Association (ISIA).

Keynote speakers delivered speeches stating that a global digital economy is the trend for world markets, while the Hong Kong S.A.R. carries the belief that creativity will be its direction for the future. With a concentration of ASOCIO members' economies primarily positioned in the Asian region, the ICT Summit in Hong Kong looks to creating a synergy by bridging cooperation from neighboring digital economies. The Summit featured presentations by distinguished leaders from the government, academia as well as Banking & Finance, Communications and Technology Applications sectors and more.
 
The 7th Asian Forum for Information Technology (AFIT) on Information Security

The 7th Asian Forum for Information Technology (AFIT) was held in Bangkok Thailand from 19-20 of February 2009 with Thailand's National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (NECTEC) as a co-organiser and participation from 18 Asian economies. The theme of the 7th AFIT Forum focuses on information security, a dominant issue in IT due to the enormous growth of Internet in e-commerce and social networking, with the associated problems in cyber crime and data privacy intrusion.

The AFIT is a network for IT policy practitioners promoting regional cooperation on IT. AFIT members from 19 countries/regions, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China (Mainland), Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, are in charge of computerisation and IT policy planning in those countries/regions.

The AFIT was initiated by Centre of the International Cooperation for Computerisation (CICC), a public-interest organisation based in Japan which assists developing countries in their computerisation. CICC has been taking the initiative to narrow the digital divide by amplifying the IT infrastructure, promoting IT-related industries, training and utilising personnel. CICC, with co-organising country/region, has been hosting the AFIT annual conferences.

The Forum was opened by Dr. Thaweesak Koanantakool, Vice President of National Science and Technology Development Agency of Thailand and Mr. Kunitaka Hashizume, Executive Director of CICC. Mr Stephen Lau, HKCS Distinguished Fellow, represented the HKCS at the Forum, and presented the status of Hong Kong related to IT security, including our IT telecommunications infrastructure, penetration data of Internet and broadband in our community, our government structure in enforcing information security, and legal framework including laws on computer crime, personal data privacy protection and electronic transactions.

The HKCS wishes to thank its members, including Allan Dyer and Frank Yam, as well as OGCIO of the Hong Kong SAR Government, for their assistance in compiling relevant information in information security related to Hong Kong as part of a regional survey conducted by CICC.