Organised by the Consumer Council, the “Greater Bay Area Consumer Protection Forum” themed “Welcoming Opportunities and Growth” was successfully held today (25 October) at The Mira Hong Kong. first of its kind in Hong Kong, the Forum brought together almost a hundred people in total, including more than 40 Administration for Market Regulation officials and representatives of consumer organisations from the Greater Bay Area (GBA), along with the China Consumers Association (CCA) from Beijing and different local stakeholders interested in consumer rights. Apart from sharing and exchanging ideas on the post-pandemic changes in consumption with the aim of better grasping opportunities and boosting the economy, attendees also deliberated on strategies for promoting and safeguarding consumer rights.
The Forum commenced with speeches by a number of special guests, including Mr Pi Xiaolin, Director of the Policy Research Department of the China Consumers Association; Mr Huang Shaolong, Deputy Director General of the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation; Professor Andrew Chan Chi-fai, President of GBA Business School; The Honourable Algernon Yau Ying-wah, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; and Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Hong Kong Consumer Council.
The Honourable Algernon Yau Ying-wah said in a recorded welcome speech, “After the pandemic, Hong Kong’s economic activities and tourism industry have resumed normalcy. In addition to a series of measures such as ‘Night Vibes Hong Kong’, strengthening consumer confidence and safeguarding consumer rights are also essential for boosting the economy. Over the years, the Hong Kong Consumer Council has maintained close liaison with GBA consumer organisations, jointly establishing an ‘alert and defense’ network to safeguard the rights of consumers in the GBA. In the future, the counterparts will also strengthen collaboration in terms of advocating good trade practices and consumer education.”
The Council Chairman Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing pointed out in a pre-recorded video, “While GBA’s ‘One-hour Living Circle’ has enabled residents in the area to co-construct and share in many aspects, they also face interconnected challenges. Many consumption behaviours are no longer locatlised, such as live-streaming e-commerce, cross-boundary property purchase and other economic activities, giving rise to many issues that are worthy of attention and study by consumer organisations. The Hong Kong Consumer Council anticipates future collaboration with consumer protection counterparts to foster a safer and more secure consumption environment for consumers in the GBA.”
In addition to guests from the GBA, leaders of the CCA from Beijing were also invited to participate in the Forum. Director Pi Xiaolin of the CCA’s Policy Research Department spoke at the opening ceremony, “Protecting consumer rights is a commitment that benefits public interest and livelihood. It requires collective effort and persistence to achieve success. We hope that everyone can join hands to seek development, focus on the general public’s key concerns and topics of interest, innovate ways of work, and optimise consumer protection mechanisms. Together we can bolster regional cooperation in consumer protection, strive for quality economic development in the region and promote harmony and stability in society, so as to provide GBA consumers with better wellbeing, security, fulfilment, safeguard and sustainability.”
Mr Huang Shaolong, Deputy Director General of the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation, addressed the audience, “Guangdong attaches great importance to strengthening cooperation with Hong Kong and Macau in protecting consumer rights and interests, mainly focusing on 3 aspects, including signing memoranda of understanding (MOUs), strengthening cross-boundary collaboration in consumer protection, and opening up complaint referral channels, all of which have achieved fruitful results in recent years. Let us work together to seize the huge opportunities made available by the GBA, continuously strengthen exchange and cooperation in consumer protection in the GBA, spare no effort in creating a safe consumption environment, and promote the prime integration of consumption and economic growth in the Bay Area.”
Professor Andrew Chan Chi-fai, President of GBA Business School, who served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Consumer Council from 1999 to 2005, is persistently concerned about consumer protection, “Development of the GBA is a key national strategy, under which protecting consumer rights plays a determining role in promoting economic development in the GBA. Both complement each other and must be adopted together, because consumer confidence is crucial for continuously boosting the market’s purchasing power and consumption demand, in turn driving overall economic development. I hope that individual consumer organisations can maximise the advantage provided by the integration of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau to fully safeguard consumer rights.”
The Forum focused on 4 hot consumption topics, including the new live-streaming e-commerce trend, safeguarding the quality and safety of consumer goods, the legal protection of cross-boundary property purchases, and strengthening consumer education for persons with special needs. The speakers analysed the topics from multiple perspectives and illustrated with case studies, allowing Forum participants to gain an in-depth understanding of the core of the issues and resolution methods. The Forum owes its success to the local speakers for their active participation, the Hong Kong Police Force and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited for arranging exchange visitations, as well the Hong Kong Tourism Board for their support.
This Forum marks the continued strengthening of ties between the Hong Kong Consumer Council and various consumer organisations in the GBA. In the future, the Council will continue to strengthen mutual cooperation with its consumer protection counterparts to jointly create a safe consumption environment and economic development of the GBA.
Image Captions:
- Mr Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Hong Kong Consumer Council presents the opening speech.
- Officiating Guest, The Honourable Algernon Yau Ying-wah, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region gives a welcome speech.
- Mr Pi Xiaolin, Director of Policy Research Department of the China Consumers Association gives a speech.
- Mr Huang Shaolong, Deputy Director General of the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation presents a speech.
- Special guest, Professor Andrew Chan Chi-fai, President of GBA Business School presents a speech.
- Ms Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Consumer Council, presents souvenirs to all officiating guests.
- A number of representatives from Hong Kong and the GBA discussed and exchanged views on 4 topics, including online shopping, consumer goods safety, property (rental/purchase) protection, and protecting the rights of consumers with special needs.
- The audience actively participated in the discussion and raised questions enthusiastically.
- Nearly a hundred guests attended the Forum to exchange ideas and discuss consumer protection issues.
