"Hong Kong enjoys a competitive edge in developing quality and international maritime services, such as ship registration, management and broking, shipping agency, ship finance, maritime insurance, legal and arbitration services," chief executive Leung Chun-ying said in his annual speech.
He noted that the consultancy study on Enhancing Hong Kong's Position as an International Maritime Centre had been completed and concluded that the city is well positioned to develop high value-added maritime services.
The study also proposed setting up a new statutory maritime body. "In the coming year, the government will work out the specific functions, structure and funding of the proposed new body and consult the industry. We will then take forward the necessary legislative procedures as soon as possible," Leung said.
In addition, he also said that the government will continue to improve port facilities and enhance the efficiency of port operations, in order to take advantage of opportunities from the growth of trade on mainland China and Asia.
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