Good corporate governance is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's position as an international financial centre and the premier capital formation centre for the Mainland. The Government has been striving to keep up Hong Kong's corporate governance regime on a par with the best international practices. It is most encouraging that the parties concerned, including the relevant regulatory bodies, professional associations and academic institutions, have spared no efforts in joining force with the Government to pursue this course.

The Asia-Pacific Corporate Governance Conference affords an excellent opportunity for distinguished scholars, company executives and professionals around the world to pool their insights on how best our corporate governance regime can be further enhanced in the light of the international developments. The Conference also helps to forge greater participation and partnership among different stakeholders in upholding responsible corporate governance.

I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the School of Business of the Hong Kong Baptist University for organizing the Asia-Pacific Corporate Governance Conference and wish the event a resounding success.

Hon. Frederick S. Ma, JP
Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury
HKSAR Government