About 40 senior Japanese businesspeople and academics took part in the 30th Plenary Session of the Hong Kong-Japan and Japan-Hong Kong Business Co-operation Committees Tuesday in Hong Kong.

Speakers at the high-powered meeting included Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma, who told the group that Hong Kong's services are playing an increasingly important role in the Pan-PRD area, and that Hong Kong represents the ideal gateway to realising such opportunities.

Vincent Cheng, Chairman of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp Ltd, emphasised Hong Kong's role as a financial hub.

Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau outlined developments in Hong Kong's environmental policies. Mr Yau's address was of particular interest to committee members on both sides. Hong Kong and Japanese companies see significant business opportunities in working together, especially in the Chinese mainland, where environmental protection is a government priority.

The bilateral meeting was chaired jointly by Dr Victor Fung, Chairman of the Hong Kong-Japan Business Cooperation Committee, and his counterpart, Kunio Suzuki, representing the Japanese side. Mr Suzuki is also the Representative Director and Chairman of the Board of Mitsui OSK Lines, Ltd.

The HKTDC serves as the secretariat for the Hong Kong-Japan Business Co-operation Committee, while the Nippon Keidanren is the secretariat for the Japan-Hong Kong Business Co-operation Committee. The two committees will hold their 31st Plenary Session next year in Japan.