Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Adminstrative Region Tung Chee Hwa Friday made a statement to welcome five new members of his council of international advisers.
Tung said, "We are very pleased to be able to benefit from the advice of the five new members, who are prominent international business and corporate leaders."
The new members are: Craig R Barrett, president and CEO of Intel Corporation, Lawrence J Ellison, chairman and CEO of Oracle Corporation, Gerald M Levin, CEO of AOL Time Warner Inc., Henry M Paulson, Jr, chairman and CEO of The Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and Peter D Sutherland, chairman of British Petroleum plc.
Together with the existing 14 advisers, they will advise the Chief Executive from the international perspective on strategic issues pertinent to the long-term development of Hong Kong, a government spokesman said.
They will also advise on how global and regional trends might affect Hong Kong's development, and on the perception of the international business community on Hong Kong's plans and programs of activities, the spokesman said.
The Chief Executive will seek their views on the measures that Hong Kong should take to enhance its role as a world-class commercial and financial center, he said.
After adding the five new members, the council now has 19 non- official members. The council meets roughly once a year. Since its establishment in 1998, issues including Asia's adjustment to the financial turmoil, improving Hong Kong's competitiveness, opportunities and challenges for Hong Kong after China's accession to WTO and strategies for Hong Kong's development have been discussed.
(Xinhua News Agency 08/19/2001)
