HK Govt Committed to Bolstering ASP EnvironmentHong Kong government is committed to providing an environment conducive to e-commerce development in Hong Kong, a senior official said Tuesday.In the past few years, Hong Kong has witnessed the huge changes brought about by the adoption of information technology, Information Technology Services Director Lau Kam-hung said at the opening session of an international conference on application service provider (ASP) in Hong Kong. "By leveraging on information technology, e-commerce has revolutionized the way we do business and is considered an important tool for enhancing the competitiveness of the enterprises and the economy," Lau said. "The challenge we are now facing is how to grasp the opportunities offered by e-commerce," Lau said. Hong Kong's telecommunications infrastructure is amongst the best in the world, and the telecommunications market is now characterized by easily accessible, efficient and innovative services at affordable prices, he said. To provide legal backing to electronic transactions and to protect the interests of individuals and enterprises, Lau said the Electronic Transactions Ordinance was enacted to provide the necessary legal framework. To lead by example, the government services on-line was put through the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Scheme. Moreover, the open and common information infrastructure of ESD also serves as an open platform for the private sector to conduct e-commerce at a later stage, he added. The government's efforts alone is not enough for e-commerce to flourish in Hong Kong, he said, adding that it is encouraging to see that our enterprises have taken initiatives to actively exploit new opportunities in e-commerce. |
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