none
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam
The presence of major arts fairs including Fine Art Asia in Hong Kong has contributed to our current position as one of the top three arts auction centres in the world, along with New York and London. And the figures speak for themselves. Between the year 2005 and 2013, art, antiques and crafts is one of the fastest growing sectors in the cultural and creative industries in Hong Kong in terms of value added to our Gross Domestic Product, increasing from $4.2 billion to $13.6 billion. I shall add that design is also the other fast growing sector, with value added to GDP rising from just $1 billion in the year 2005 to $3.7 billion in 2013. It is therefore very timely for this year's Fine Art Asia to include a new project "The World of Design". This indicates clearly Hong Kong's status as the focal point of the arts market in Asia. I am proud to say that this status is underpinned by our simple tax system, our good business environment, our legal system, our law and order and our highly efficient logistics sector. The one area that we need to work harder and perhaps to do better is the provision of space for exhibition and convention purposes.
To give our arts industry a greater push, the Government is investing heavily in both hardware and software. As everyone knows, we are now developing the West Kowloon Cultural District. We have just achieved another milestone in the construction of M+, the flagship museum for contemporary visual culture in Hong Kong, as the contract for the main works was awarded last week. At the same time, we are also renovating Hong Kong Museum of Art with a view to providing more exhibition spaces. On the software side, we are undertaking a number of measures to nurture local arts professionals, including artists and art administrators, as well as to build audiences. For example, through the various arts education programmes and community activities, we are facilitating the promotion of arts in the community. In collaboration with the Palace Museum and other renowned museums overseas, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department is mounting major arts exhibitions which have attracted a large number of local and overseas visitors. These initiatives will help consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's position as a cultural metropolis.
Chief Secretary Carrie Lam gave these remarks at the opening ceremony of Fine Art Asia 2015 on October 3.
