EN

[pic] | EVROPSKA KOMISIJA | VISOKA PREDSTAVNICA UNIJE ZA ZUNANJE ZADEVE IN VARNOSTNO POLITIKO |

Brussels, 14.4.2011

Bruselj, 14.4.2011

COM(2011) 204 final

COM(2011) 204 konč.

JOINT REPORT TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

SKUPNO POROČILO SVETU IN EVROPSKEMU PARLAMENTU

ANNUAL REPORT HONG KONG 2010

LETNO POROČILO O HONGKONGU ZA LETO 2010

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Annual Report 2010

Posebna administrativna regija Ljudske republike Kitajske Hongkong: letno poročilo za leto 2010

Introduction

Uvod

Since the handover of Hong Kong to Mainland China more than thirteen years ago, the European Union has closely monitored economic and political developments in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), in order to fulfil its 1997 commitment to the European Parliament to issue an annual report on developments in Hong Kong. This is the thirteenth such report covering developments in 2010.

Evropska unija je od izročitve Hongkonga celinski Kitajski pred več kot trinajstimi leti pozorno spremljala gospodarski in politični razvoj v Posebni administrativni regiji Ljudske republike Kitajske Hongkong, da bi izpolnila svojo zavezo Evropskemu parlamentu iz leta 1997 glede izdaje letnega poročila o napredku Hongkonga. To je trinajsto takšno poročilo, ki zajema razvoj v letu 2010.

During 2010, the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, as established in the Sino-British Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong, has continued to work well, as the rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Hong Kong have been respected, the rule of law protected and the market economic system and business environment maintained.

V letu 2010 je načelo „ena država, dva sistema“, ki je zapisano v skupni izjavi Kitajske in Velike Britanije ter ustavi Hongkonga, še naprej dobro delovalo. Spoštujejo se pravice in temeljne svoboščine prebivalcev Hongkonga, načelo pravne države je zaščiteno ter ohranjata se tržni gospodarski sistem in poslovno okolje.

Bilateral relations and cooperation between the EU and Hong Kong have continued to move forward on a very positive track, in terms of trade, investment and dialogue on issues of common interest. The EU continued to be Hong Kong’s second largest trading partner. It is Hong Kong’s biggest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) after Mainland China and the British Virgin Islands. With one of the biggest European business communities in Asia and as a financial and economic hub for the region, Hong Kong maintains its strategic importance as a trading and investment partner for the EU.

Dvostranski odnosi in sodelovanje med EU in Hongkongom so se nadaljevali v zelo pozitivni smeri, predvsem na področju trgovine, naložb in dialoga o zadevah skupnega interesa. EU je bila še naprej druga največja trgovinska partnerica Hongkonga. Za celinsko Kitajsko in Britanskimi Deviškimi otoki je največji vir neposrednih tujih naložb v Hongkongu. Hongkong, kjer se nahaja ena največjih evropskih poslovnih skupnosti v Aziji ter ki je finančno in gospodarsko vozlišče za regijo, ostaja pomemben strateški trgovinski in naložbeni partner EU.

The EU continues to strongly support early and substantial progress towards the goal of genuine universal suffrage, in accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong SAR and the wishes of the people of Hong Kong.

EU še naprej močno podpira pravočasen in znaten napredek pri doseganju cilja resnične splošne volilne pravice v skladu z ustavo Posebne administrativne regije Ljudske republike Kitajske Hongkong ter željami njenih prebivalcev.

Political developments

Politični razvoj

2010 was a crucial year for Hong Kong's constitutional development, dominated by intense political debate on electoral reform.

Leto 2010 je bilo ključno za ustavni razvoj Hongkonga, ki ga je zaznamovala intenzivna politična razprava o volilni reformi.

In June, Hong Kong took an important step forward with the approval by the Legislative Council of the Proposals for the Methods of Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2012. Under this legislation, in 2012 the committee which elects the chief executive will be expanded from 800 to 1200 members and the number of seats in the Legislative Council from 60 to 70 members. The 50:50 ratio of legislative seats directly elected by the public and those elected via members of functional constituencies (as set out by the National People's Congress Standing Committee decision of 2007) remains.

Hongkong je junija naredil pomemben korak, ko je zakonodajni svet odobril predloge metod izbora glavnega upravitelja in oblikovanja zakonodajnega sveta v letu 2012. V skladu s to zakonodajo se bo število članov sveta, ki voli glavnega upravitelja, v letu 2012 z 800 povečalo na 1200, število sedežev v zakonodajnem svetu pa s 60 na 70. Razmerje med člani zakonodajnega sveta, ki jih neposredno voli javnost, in člani, ki jih volijo člani funkcionalnih volilnih enot (kakor so bile določene z odločitvijo Stalnega odbora Nacionalnega ljudskega kongresa iz leta 2007), se ne bo spremenilo (50:50).

Of the ten new seats added to the Legislative Council, five have been allocated to directly-elected geographical constituencies and the other five to functional constituencies. The five new functional constituency seats will be filled by directly-elected members of District Councils, which are local government bodies. This means that the 3.2 million registered voters who currently do not have the right to elect any functional constituency lawmakers will be eligible to vote for the five new functional constituency seats.

Izmed desetih novih sedežev, ki so bili dodani zakonodajnemu svetu, jih je bilo pet dodeljenih geografskim volilnim enotam za neposredno izvolitev, preostalih pet pa funkcionalnim volilnim enotam. Pet novih sedežev funkcionalnih volilnih enot bodo zapolnili neposredno izvoljeni člani okrajnih svetov, ki so lokalni vladni organi. To pomeni, da bo 3,2 milijona registriranih volivcev, ki zdaj nimajo pravice voliti zakonodajalcev iz funkcionalnih volilnih enot, lahko volilo pet novih sedežev teh enot.

On 25 June, Chief Executive Donald Tsang said that it was "a triumph of the one country, two systems arrangements". Later in his October policy address, he stressed that Hong Kong had taken a decisive step towards universal suffrage when the 2012 constitutional package was passed by the Legislative Council, and that the community's aspiration to roll forward with constitutional development has been realised.

Glavni upravitelj Donald Tsang je 25. junija dejal, da je bila to „zmaga ureditve ena država in dva sistema“. Pozneje je v svojem oktobrskem političnem nagovoru poudaril, da je Hongkong naredil odločilen korak k splošni volilni pravici, ko je zakonodajni svet sprejel zakonodajni sveženj za leto 2012, s čimer se je uresničila želja skupnosti po nadaljevanju ustavnega razvoja.

On 25 June 2010, the spokesperson of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, issued a statement which took note of the Legislative Council's approval of the 2012 electoral reforms and stressed that the EU continued to strongly support early and substantial progress towards the goal of genuine universal suffrage in accordance with the Basic Law of Hong Kong and international standards. It concluded that this was the best guarantee of stability and prosperity for the Hong Kong people.

Uradni govorec visoke predstavnice EU za zunanje zadeve in varnostno politiko Catherine Ashton je v izjavi z dne 25. junija 2010 navedel, da je zakonodajni svet odobril volilne reforme za leto 2012, ter poudaril, da EU še naprej močno podpira pravočasen in znaten napredek pri doseganju cilja resnične splošne volilne pravice v skladu z ustavo Hongkonga in mednarodnimi standardi. Zaključil je, da je bilo to najboljše zagotovilo za stabilnost in blaginjo prebivalcev Hongkonga.

The legislative process was difficult. The Government's proposals were initially opposed by all pan-democratic parties. By-elections were held in May triggered by the resignation in January of five pan-democratic legislators who argued that by-elections would constitute a "de facto-referendum" on the pace of democratic development. All five legislators regained their seats in a by-election with a very low (17%) turnout and the non-participation of the pro-government parties. In an effort to find a compromise that would avoid a second rejection by the legislature of the electoral reform package, mainland officials and Hong Kong pan-democratic leaders met for the first time since the Tiananmen events in 1989. The Central government accepted the Democratic Party proposal to allow all registered voters (rather than just elected district councilors) in Hong Kong to vote for the five new functional constituency seats and eventually the new proposal was approved by the legislature with the necessary two-thirds majority. The EU warmly welcomes the dialogue, which made the passage of this proposal possible.

Zakonodajni postopek je bil težak. Vladnim predlogom so na začetku nasprotovale vse pandemokratične stranke. Maja so potekale nadomestne volitve zaradi odstopa petih pandemokratičnih zakonodajalcev januarja, ki so trdili, da bi nadomestne volitve pomenile „dejanski referendum“ o hitrosti demokratičnega razvoja. Vseh pet zakonodajalcev je bilo na nadomestnih volitvah z zelo nizko (17 %) udeležbo in brez sodelovanja provladnih strank znova izvoljenih. V okviru prizadevanj za dosego kompromisa, s katerim bi se izognili, da bi zakonodajalci v drugo zavrnili sveženj o volilni reformi, so se uradniki s celine in hongkonški pandemokratični vodje srečali prvič po dogodkih na Trgu nebeškega miru leta 1989. Osrednja vlada je sprejela predlog demokratične stranke, ki dovoljuje vsem registriranim volivcem (in ne samo izvoljenim občinskim svetnikom) v Hongkongu, da volijo pet novih sedežev funkcionalnih volilnih enot, nato pa so novi predlog sprejeli tudi zakonodajalci s potrebno dvotretjinsko večino. EU z zadovoljstvom sprejema dialog, ki je omogočil sprejetje tega predloga.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang made clear in his October policy address that his government will not legislate on the issue of national security in accordance with Article 23 of the Basic Law during his term. Tsang said that although it was a constitutional duty, he will focus his energy on more pressing issues such as implementing legislation that will put into place the changes for electoral reform in time for 2012 and resolving livelihood issues.

Glavni upravitelj Donald Tsang je v svojem oktobrskem političnem nagovoru pojasnil, da njegova vlada med njegovim mandatom v skladu s členom 23 ustave ne bo sprejemala zakonskih predpisov o zadevah državne varnosti. Tsang je dejal, da bo, čeprav gre za njegovo ustavno dolžnost, svoje sile usmeril v nujnejše zadeve, kot sta izvajanje zakonodaje za vzpostavitev sprememb za volilno reformo do 2012 ter reševanje vprašanj vsakdanjega življenja.

Hong Kong's new Chief Justice, Geoffrey Ma, took office in September 2010 vowing to defend the rule of law in the Special Administrative Region and promising to vigorously protect the integrity of the city's courts.

Predsednik hongkonškega vrhovnega sodišča Geoffrey Ma je začel svoj mandat septembra 2010 s prisego, da bo v Posebni administrativni regiji ščitil pravno državo, in obljubo, da bo močno varoval integriteto sodišč v mestu.

Hong Kong lawmakers from across the political spectrum voiced support for jailed Chinese activist Zhao Lianhai, who organised a parents' group to seek compensation for children affected by melamine-tainted milk in the Mainland. Some of them had also signed a petition to the Supreme People's Court calling for the activist's release. A joint petition by 28 Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress was also presented to the Court, urging a more lenient judgement on the case. Zhao Lianhai was released on medical parole in December 2010.

Hongkonški zakonodajalci iz celotnega političnega prizorišča so izrazili podporo zaprtemu kitajskemu aktivistu Zhaou Lianhaiju, ki je organiziral skupino staršev, da bi na celini zahtevali odškodnino za otroke, ki so imeli posledice zaradi mleka, okuženega z melaminom. Nekateri izmed njih so prav tako podpisali peticijo vrhovnemu ljudskemu sodišču ter zahtevali izpust aktivista. Skupno peticijo je sodišču predložilo tudi 28 hongkonških poslancev v Nacionalnem ljudskem kongresu, ki so v zvezi z zadevo zahtevali blažjo sodbo. Zhao Lianhai je bil zaradi zdravstvenih razlogov pogojno izpuščen decembra 2010.

23 August 2010 witnessed the tragic events that unfolded in the Philippines where a Hong Kong tourist bus was taken hostage in Manila resulting in the death of eight people from Hong Kong and others injured. The EU expressed its condolences and support to the Hong Kong people.

23. avgusta 2010 se je na Filipinih zgodil tragični dogodek, ko je bil v Manili zajet hongkonški turistični avtobus, pri čemer je umrlo osem ljudi iz Hongkonga, drugi pa so bili ranjeni. EU je izrazila sožalje in podporo prebivalcem Hongkonga.

Ties between Hong Kong and Taiwan continued to expand in 2010 with the visit of Hong Kong Financial Secretary, John Tsang, to Taiwan in August. The Taiwan – Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Cooperation Council was established in May in Hong Kong. Both sides agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation on trade, finance, investment promotion and tourism.

Vezi med Hongkongom in Tajvanom so se leta 2010 še naprej širile z obiskom hongkonškega sekretarja za finance Johna Tsanga avgusta v Tajvanu. Maja je bil v Hongkongu ustanovljen Svet za gospodarsko in kulturno sodelovanje med Tajvanom in Hongkongom. Obse strani sta se strinjali glede krepitve izmenjave in sodelovanja na področjih trgovine, financ, spodbujanja naložb in turizma.

In general terms, the EU believes that during 2010 the implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong SAR remained satisfactory and the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong's people, guaranteed in the Sino-British Declaration and the Basic Law, continued to be respected.

Na splošno EU meni, da je izvajanje načela „ena država, dva sistema“ v Posebni administrativni regiji Ljudske republike Kitajske Hongkong med letom 2010 ostalo zadovoljivo ter da se pravice in svoboščine prebivalcev Hongkonga, zagotovljene v skupni izjavi Kitajske in Velike Britanije ter ustavi Hongkonga, še naprej spoštujejo.

Economic and Trade Developments

Gospodarski in trgovinski razvoj

Hong Kong's economy recovered well from the global financial crisis upon entering 2010. GDP increased by 7.1% in real terms during the first three quarters of 2010, after a 2.7% contraction in 2009. Government measures introduced during the crisis period proved able to cushion external risks and maintain confidence. The post-crisis growth was supported by the robust Mainland Chinese economy, a strong rebound in exports to the Asian markets, abundant liquidity inflows as well as rising consumer and business confidence. The labour market was stable and the unemployment rate dropped to a two-year low at 4.1% in the three months to November 2010 [1]. However, inflationary pressure became distinct along with the sustained economic recovery and rising import prices. Consumer price inflation for 2010 was 2.3% [2] and the uptrend seems likely to continue into 2011.

Gospodarstvo Hongkonga si je ob vstopu v leto 2010 dobro opomoglo od svetovne finančne krize. BDP se je po 2,7-odstotnem zmanjšanju leta 2009 v prvih treh četrtinah leta 2010 realno povečal za 7,1 %. Z vladnimi ukrepi, ki so bili uvedeni v kriznem obdobju, so se lahko ublažila zunanja tveganja in ohranilo zaupanje. Rast po krizi je bila podprta s trdnim gospodarstvom celinske Kitajske, velikim povečanjem izvoza na azijske trge, precejšnjim prilivom kapitala, prav tako pa tudi vse večjim zaupanjem strank in podjetij. Trg dela je bil stabilen in stopnja brezposelnosti se je v treh mesecih pred novembrom 2010 znižala na 4,1 %, kar je najnižja vrednost v dveh letih[1]. Toda poleg trajnostnega gospodarskega okrevanja in dviga uvoznih cen je postal viden tudi inflacijski pritisk. Inflacija cen življenjskih potrebščin je leta 2010 znašala 2,3 %[2], povečevala pa se bo verjetno tudi v letu 2011.

In 2010, Hong Kong attracted abundant inflows of international liquidity to the asset markets under a relaxed global monetary environment. Given the Hong Kong-US dollar peg, there was no possibility for the use of monetary policies to address asset price pressure. Consequently, mitigating the risk of an asset bubble became a major challenge for the Hong Kong SAR Government during 2010. Despite the negative impact of the currency link on asset price movements and inflation, Hong Kong authorities publicly reiterated their stance of maintaining the Linked Exchange Rate System (HKD-USD peg) which has been in place since 1983.

Hongkong je leta 2010 v sproščenem svetovnem monetarnem okolju pritegnil precejšen priliv mednarodnega kapitala na trg premoženja. Ker je vrednost hongkonškega dolarja vezana na vrednost ameriškega dolarja ni bilo možnosti za uporabo monetarnih politik pri odpravljanju pritiska cen sredstev. Zato je postalo v letu 2010 odpravljanje tveganja prenapihnjenih cen sredstev velik izziv za vlado Posebne administrativne regije Ljudske republike Kitajske Hongkong. Kljub negativnemu učinku povezanosti valute z gibanji cen sredstev in inflacijo so hongkonški organi javno ponovili svoje stališče glede ohranitve sistema vezanega deviznega tečaja (vrednost hongkonškega dolarja je vezana na vrednost ameriškega dolarja), ki je bil vzpostavljen leta 1983.

Hong Kong expanded its role in the internationalisation of the Mainland currency, the Renminbi (RMB). With the support of the Central Government, along with the financial expertise and infrastructure Hong Kong has to offer, Hong Kong has, for now, successfully positioned itself to be the leading offshore centre for RMB business and products. During 2010, China progressively relaxed its rules on RMB capital transfers, cross-border settlement, corporate bond issuances and access to its onshore inter-bond market, aiming to improve circulation of offshore RMB funds. At the same time, RMB business in Hong Kong took off in a serious and sustained manner, witnessing growing and record levels of RMB deposits, cross-border trade settlement transactions and a burgeoning of RMB-denominated financing and investment products. Hong Kong also maintained its leading position as the largest IPO market globally in 2010.

Hongkong je razširil svojo vlogo pri internacionalizaciji celinske valute renminbi (v nadaljnjem besedilu: RMB). S podporo osrednje vlade ter s finančnim strokovnim znanjem in infrastrukturo, ki ju Hongkong lahko ponudi, se je slednji za zdaj uspešno uveljavil kot vodilni off-shore center za poslovanje v RMB in za produkte v RMB. Kitajska je med letom 2010 postopoma sprostila svoje predpise glede kapitalskih transferjev v RMB, čezmejnih transakcij v RMB, izdajanja podjetniških obveznic v RMB in glede svojega dostopa do trga mednarodnih obveznic na celini, kar bi izboljšalo kroženje off-shore sredstev v RMB. Hkrati je poslovanje v RMB v Hongkongu dobilo resen in trajnostni zagon, kar se je kazalo v naraščajočih in rekordnih ravneh depozitov v RMB, v čezmejnem trgovanju v RMB ter nastajanju finančnih in naložbenih produktov, izraženih v RMB. Hongkong je v letu 2010 prav tako ohranil svoj vodilni položaj kot največji svetovni trg za prve javne ponudbe.

Hong Kong and China continued to forge stronger economic and trade ties through the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). The seventh supplement to CEPA was signed in May 2010, under which China introduced more liberalisation measures in services to Hong Kong service suppliers, bringing the total number of liberalised service sectors under CEPA to 44. The EU continued its cooperation with the Hong Kong Government to disseminate information on CEPA to the European business community.

Hongkong in Kitajska sta v okviru Sporazuma o tesnejšem gospodarskem partnerstvu (CEPA) še naprej vzpostavljala tesnejše gospodarske in trgovinske vezi. Sedmi dodatek k sporazumu CEPA je bil podpisan maja 2010, v skladu s katerim je Kitajska uvedla več ukrepov liberalizacije v storitvah za hongkonške ponudnike storitev ter tako povečala skupno število liberaliziranih storitvenih sektorjev v okviru sporazuma CEPA na 44. EU je nadaljevala svoje sodelovanje z vlado Hongkonga na področju zagotavljanja informacij o sporazumu CEPA evropski poslovni skupnosti.

On regional integration, Hong Kong and the Chinese province of Guangdong took further steps to institutionalise their cooperation and exchanges through a framework agreement endorsed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China and signed on 7 April 2010. It aims to promote joint socio-economic development in Hong Kong and Guangdong and to capitalise on the competitiveness of Hong Kong's service industries and Guangdong's manufacturing industries to build an advanced global manufacturing and modern services base.

V zvezi z regionalnim povezovanjem sta Hongkong in kitajska provinca Guangdong sprejela nadaljnje ukrepe na področju institucionalizacije svojega sodelovanja in izmenjave, in sicer z okvirnim sporazumom, ki ga je državni svet Ljudske republike Kitajske potrdil in sprejel 7. aprila 2010. Z njim bi se spodbudil družbenogospodarski razvoj Hongkonga in Guangdonga ter izkoristila konkurenčnost storitvenega sektorja Hongkonga in proizvodne industrije Guangdonga za vzpostavljanje razvite svetovne proizvodne baze in baze za sodobne storitve.

While maintaining its strong support for multilateralism in the area of trade liberalisation, Hong Kong has recently become more active in negotiating and concluding free trade agreements (FTAs). Apart from the CEPA with Mainland China, Hong Kong signed a Closer Economic Partnership Agreement with New Zealand on 29 March 2010, its first FTA with a foreign country. FTA negotiations with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) started in January 2010 and are reported to be nearing completion. Exploratory talks were initiated by Hong Kong with Chile, Peru and Malaysia. A WTO trade policy review of Hong Kong, China was conducted in December 2010. As with previous WTO trade policy reviews, this one stated that Hong Kong remains one of the most liberal and transparent foreign investment regimes, and one of the most market-oriented and open economies globally.

Hongkong je nedavno postal dejavnejši v pogajanjih za sporazume o prosti trgovini ter pri njihovem sklepanju, ob tem pa je še naprej močno podpiral večstranskost na področju trgovinske liberalizacije. Hongkong je poleg sporazuma CEPA s celinsko Kitajsko 29. marca 2010 podpisal Sporazum o tesnejšem gospodarskem partnerstvu z Novo Zelandijo, svoj prvi sporazum o prosti trgovini s tujo državo. Pogajanja o sporazumih o prosti trgovini z Evropskim združenjem za prosto trgovino (EFTA) so se začela januarja 2010 in po informacijah se približujejo zaključku. Hongkong je začel poizvedovalne pogovore s Čilom, Perujem in Malezijo. Decembra 2010 je bil opravljen pregled trgovinske politike STO za Hongkong (Kitajska). Tako kot v preteklih pregledih trgovinske politike STO je tudi v tem navedeno, da Hongkong ostaja ena izmed najbolj liberalnih in preglednih ureditev za tuje naložbe ter eno izmed najbolj tržno usmerjenih in odprtih gospodarstev.

Several milestone economic legislative proposals were either introduced or passed in 2010. In July, Hong Kong passed its first minimum wage law. The Legislative Council adopted the proposal of the government-appointed task group to set a minimum wage level of HK$28 per hour (approximately €2.80). The minimum wage law will take effect on 1 May 2011.

Leta 2010 je bilo bodisi uvedenih bodisi sprejetih več ključnih gospodarskih zakonodajnih predlogov. Julija je Hongkong sprejel svoj prvi zakon o minimalni plači. Zakonodajni svet je sprejel predlog delovne skupine, ki jo je imenovala vlada, za določitev ravni minimalne plače v znesku 28 hongkonških dolarjev na uro (približno 2,8 EUR). Raven minimalne plače bo začela veljati 1. maja 2011.

Another milestone was the introduction of a draft competition bill. The draft bill (if adopted) would see the establishment of a Competition Commission with responsibility for investigating and prosecuting anti-competitive practices falling under the scope of the competition bill, while the current broadcasting and telecommunications authorities would enjoy concurrent jurisdiction for matters relating to either of those distinct areas. The bill would also see the establishment of a Competition Tribunal. The EU welcomes the introduction of competition law in Hong Kong as we believe competition policy is an important attribute of a well-functioning market economy. It would create a level playing field for firms, enhance economic efficiency and protect free trade to the benefit of consumers.

Še en mejnik je bila uvedba osnutka zakona o konkurenci. Osnutek zakona (če bo sprejet) predvideva vzpostavitev komisije za konkurenco z nalogo preiskovanja in pregona protikonkurenčnih praks, ki spadajo v okvir zakona o konkurenci, medtem ko bi trenutni organi za radiodifuzijo in telekomunikacije bili hkrati pristojni za zadeve, povezane s katerim koli izmed teh ločenih področij. Z zakonom bi se ustanovilo tudi sodišče za konkurenco. EU je zadovoljna z uvedbo zakona o konkurenci v Hongkongu, saj meni, da je politika o konkurenci pomembna značilnost dobro delujočega tržnega gospodarstva. Z zakonom bi se vzpostavili enaki konkurenčni pogoji za podjetja, povečala bi se gospodarska učinkovitost in zaščitila prosta trgovina v korist potrošnikov.

On 3 March 2010 Hong Kong completed the legislative process for the enactment of the law and provisions on exchange of information in accordance with the 2004 version of the OECD Model Tax Convention. The tax law provides for exchange of information upon request only. In response to public demand, Hong Kong has included safeguards in individual comprehensive Double Taxation Agreements ("CDTAs") providing for additional statutory procedural safeguards in handling an Exchange of Information request by foreign jurisdictions. During 2010, Hong Kong signed 14 of these CDTAs tax treaties (7 with EU Member States). The growing network of bilateral tax treaties is expected to bring about new business and trade and investment opportunities for all parties.

Hongkong je 3. marca 2010 končal zakonodajni postopek za uzakonitev zakona in določb o izmenjavi informacij v skladu z različico vzorčne konvencije o davku na dohodek in kapital Organizacije za gospodarsko sodelovanje in razvoj iz leta 2004. Davčna zakonodaja določa samo izmenjavo informacij na zahtevo. Hongkong je v odziv na javno povpraševanje vključil zaščitne ukrepe v posamezne celovite sporazume o izogibanju dvojnemu obdavčevanju, ki pri obravnavanju zahtev po izmenjavi informacij s strani tujih sodišč na podlagi zakona zagotavljajo dodatne postopkovne zaščitne ukrepe. V letu 2010 je Hongkong podpisal 14 takšnih sporazumov o izogibanju dvojnemu obdavčevanju (sedem z državami članicami EU). Pričakuje se, da bo vse obsežnejša mreža dvostranskih davčnih sporazumov spodbudila nove poslovne, trgovinske in naložbene priložnosti za vse strani.

European Union – Hong Kong Relations and Cooperation

Odnosi in sodelovanje med Evropsko unijo in Hongkongom

In 2010, the European Union and Hong Kong bilateral relations and cooperation have continued to expand. Hong Kong is an important player in the region and an intermediation platform for trade and investment flows between the EU and Mainland China.

Leta 2010 so se dvostranski odnosi in sodelovanje med Evropsko unijo in Hongkongom še naprej razvijali. Hongkong je pomemben akter v regiji ter platforma za posredovanje na področju trgovinskih in naložbenih tokov med EU in celinsko Kitajsko.

In 2010, the EU maintained its position as Hong Kong’s second-largest trading partner after Mainland China. Conversely, in the same year Hong Kong was the 16th largest trading partner of the EU. Bilateral trade between the EU and Hong Kong recovered robustly and increased by 29.9% during the first nine months of 2010, reaching €37.9bn.

EU je bila v letu 2010 za celinsko Kitajsko še vedno druga največja hongkonška trgovinska partnerica. In obratno, v istem letu je bil Hongkong šestnajsti največji trgovinski partner EU. Dvostranska trgovina med EU in Hongkongom si je v prvih devetih mesecih leta 2010 zelo opomogla in povečala za 29,9 % ter tako dosegla 37,9 milijarde EUR.

Next to Mainland China and the British Virgin Islands, the EU was the biggest foreign investor in Hong Kong, contributing to 9.9 % of the total FDI stock in 2009. Hong Kong investment in Europe has been developing steadily, as one of the major sources of direct investment from Asia.

EU je bila poleg celinske Kitajske in Britanskih Deviških otokov največji tuji naložbenik v Hongkongu, saj je v letu 2009 prispevala 9,9 % vseh neposrednih tujih naložb. Hongkonške naložbe v Evropi so se vztrajno razvijale, kot eden izmed glavnih virov neposrednih naložb iz Azije.

Despite the global economic crisis, Hong Kong is still home to one of the biggest European business communities in Asia and continues to attract a large number of European citizens to reside and work in the territory, totalling around 31,100 as at the end of 2010 according to official Hong Kong Immigration figures. The EU is the largest source of foreign companies in Hong Kong with 423 regional headquarters, 654 regional offices and 590 local offices as of June 2010 [3], outnumbering those of the US and Japan. The EU’s business presence covers a large variety of sectors, mainly financial and business services, trading, logistics, construction and retailing. Among others, EU companies are now key players in the banking, insurance and securities sectors of Hong Kong.

V Hongkongu se kljub svetovni gospodarski krizi še vedno nahaja ena največjih evropskih poslovnih skupnosti v Aziji, prav tako pa ta še naprej privlači tudi veliko število evropskih državljanov, ki na njegovem ozemlju prebivajo in delajo. Konec leta 2010 jih je bilo tako po uradnih hongkonških podatkih o priseljevanju tam skupaj približno 31 100. Iz EU izhaja tudi največ tujih podjetij v Hongkongu, ki so junija 2010 imela tam 423 regionalnih sedežev, 654 regionalnih uradov in 590 lokalnih uradov[3], več kot podjetja iz ZDA in Japonske. Podjetja iz EU delujejo v zelo različnih sektorjih, predvsem v finančnih in poslovnih storitvah, na področju trgovanja, logistike, gradbeništva in trgovine na drobno. Podjetja iz EU so med drugim zdaj glavni akterji v bančnem in zavarovalniškem sektorju ter sektorju vrednostnih papirjev v Hongkongu.

The 4th Structured Dialogue meeting between the European Commission and the Hong Kong SAR Government took place in Brussels on 22 November 2010. The meeting covered a range of issues ranging from economic relations, including trade and investment, to aviation, environment, research, technology, innovation and educational cooperation. The two sides noted with satisfaction that their trade and economic relations had continued to deepen and bilateral trade had steadily returned to the levels enjoyed prior to the financial crisis. Constructive exchanges on the regulatory reform of the financial services sector have increased as well as in the field of toy safety.

Četrto srečanje, v okviru katerega je potekal strukturirani dialog med Evropsko komisijo in vlado Posebne administrativne regije Ljudske republike Kitajske Hongkong, je potekalo 22. novembra 2010 v Bruslju. Na srečanju so obravnavali vrsto vprašanj, od gospodarskih odnosov, vključno s trgovino in naložbami, letalstva, okolja, raziskav, tehnologije in inovacij do sodelovanja na izobraževalnem področju. Obe strani sta z zadovoljstvom ugotovili, da so se njuni trgovinski in gospodarski odnosi še naprej poglabljali, dvostranska trgovina pa se je vrnila na raven pred finančno krizo. Povečala se je konstruktivna izmenjava mnenj o zakonodajni reformi v sektorju finančnih storitev, prav tako pa tudi na področju varnosti igrač.

Following several years of discussions between the European Commission and Hong Kong, as well as the launch of bilateral negotiations between Germany and Hong Kong in 2008, the European Commission and Hong Kong reached agreement in 2010 on how to restore legal certainty to the EU – Hong Kong bilateral air services agreements.

Po večletnih razpravah med Evropsko komisijo in Hongkongom, pa tudi po začetku dvostranskih pogajanj med Nemčijo in Hongkongom leta 2008, sta Evropska komisija in Hongkong leta 2010 dosegla dogovor, kako znova vzpostaviti pravno varnost v dvostranskih sporazumih o zračnem prevozu med EU in Hongkongom.

2010 saw a number of high-level visits from Brussels to Hong Kong. In January, Commissioner Kuneva (Health and Consumer Protection) visited Hong Kong to attend the APEC Toy Safety Initiative Open Dialogue. In August 2010, Commissioner Semeta (Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud) met with relevant Hong Kong counterparts for discussions on matters relating to taxation and customs; while congratulating the Hong Kong Authorities for the steps forward made in the implementation of the OECD standards for assistance in tax matters, he stressed the continuing interest of the EU and its Member States in establishing specific cooperation on income from savings with Hong Kong in order to ensure taxation of EU investors in accordance with the rules of their Member State of residence, as provided for by the EU Directive on Taxation of Savings Income and the accompanying agreements In September, Director-General Deffaa (Taxation and Customs Union) headed a delegation of customs officials for the 8th meeting of the EU-Hong Kong Joint Customs and Cooperation Committee.

V letu 2010 se je iz Bruslja v Hongkong zvrstilo več obiskov na visoki ravni. Januarja je komisarka Kuneva (zdravje in varstvo potrošnikov) obiskala Hongkong, da bi se udeležila odprtega dialoga o pobudi za varstvo igrač APEC. Komisar Šemeta (obdavčenje in carinska unija, revizija in boj proti goljufijam) se je avgusta 2010 srečal z zadevnimi hongkonškimi stranmi, da bi razpravljali o zadevah v zvezi z obdavčenjem in carinami. Ob tem je čestital organom Hongkonga za napredek v zvezi z izvajanjem standardov Organizacije za gospodarsko sodelovanje in razvoj na področju pomoči pri davčnih zadevah ter poudaril stalno zanimanje EU in njenih držav članic za vzpostavitev posebnega sodelovanja v zvezi z dohodkom od prihrankov s Hongkongom, da se zagotovi obdavčenje naložbenikov EU v skladu s pravili držav članic njihovega sedeža, kakor to določa direktiva EU o obdavčevanju dohodka od prihrankov in priloženi sporazumi. Septembra je generalni direktor Deffaa (obdavčenje in carinska unija) vodil delegacijo carinskih uradnikov na osmem srečanju skupnega odbora za carine in sodelovanje med EU in Hongkongom.

The activities of the EU Business Information Programme for Hong Kong and Macao (EUBIP), co-funded by the European Commission and under the management of the European Chamber of Commerce (ECC) in Hong Kong, have increased in number and have become more diverse. During 2010, priority was given to financial services regulations, CEPA, environment, telecommunications, customs and taxation. Various business councils have been established for a number of sectors in which European business and industry enjoy a leading position, e.g. information and communications technology (ICT) and financial services. They have provided important industry input to our government-to-government dialogue. EUBIP has proved to be a successful channel for a better understanding between the business communities of the EU and Hong Kong.

Število dejavnosti Programa EU za poslovne informacije za Hongkong in Macao (EUBIP), ki ga sofinancira Evropska komisija in upravlja Evropska trgovinska zbornica v Hongkongu, se je povečalo, prav tako pa so te tudi bolj raznolike. Prednostne naloge v letu 2010 so bile ureditve finančnih storitev, sporazum CEPA, okolje, telekomunikacije, carine in obdavčenje. Ustanovljeni so bili različni poslovni sveti za več sektorjev, v katerih imajo evropska podjetja in industrija vodilno vlogo, na primer informacijska in komunikacijska tehnologija ter finančne storitve. K našemu medvladnemu dialogu so pomembno prispevali s panožnimi informacijami. Program EU za poslovne informacije za Hongkong in Macao se je izkazal kot uspešen kanal za boljše razumevanje med poslovnima skupnostma EU in Hongkonga.

Hong Kong continues to be a centre of free press and free speech, a leading regional media hub. EU public diplomacy efforts have focused on making the EU more active and visible in Hong Kong under the new Treaty of Lisbon setting. Since 1 January 2010, the Office of the European Union to Hong Kong represents the EU as coordinator and negotiator in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Treaty of Lisbon offers an opportunity for the EU to further intensify ties with Hong Kong. Working closely with the EU Member States officially represented in the territory, the EU Office has delivered prompt and substantial information on EU trade and regulatory policies, energy and climate change, financial regulation, intercultural dialogue, and the EU’s role in the world.

Hongkong ostaja središče svobode tiska in govora, vodilno regionalno medijsko vozlišče. Javna diplomacija EU se je osredotočila na prizadevanja, da postane EU v okviru nove Lizbonske pogodbe v Hongkongu dejavnejša in vidnejša. Od 1. januarja 2010 Urad Evropske unije v Hongkongu zastopa EU kot koordinator in pogajalec v Posebni administrativni regiji Ljudske republike Kitajske Hongkong. Lizbonska pogodba EU omogoča, da ta nadalje okrepi vezi s Hongkongom. Urad EU je v tesnem sodelovanju z državami članicami EU, uradno zastopanimi na ozemlju, zagotovil hitre in izdatne informacije o trgovinskih in regulativnih politikah EU, energiji in podnebnih spremembah, finančni ureditvi, medkulturnem dialogu in vlogi EU v svetu.

Hong Kong has emerged from the global crisis without any major systemic problems. Its sound economic and financial fundamentals, its open economy and its stable legal environment based on the respect for the rule of law and judiciary independence, are noteworthy elements for increasing trade and investment flows with the EU as well as serving as a gateway for Mainland China and the region.

Hongkong si je od svetovne krize opomogel brez večjih sistemskih težav. Njegovi trdni gospodarski in finančni temelji, odprto gospodarstvo in njegovo stabilno pravno okolje, ki temelji na spoštovanju načela pravne države in neodvisnosti sodstva, so pomembni elementi za povečanje trgovinskih in naložbenih tokov z EU, prav tako pa omogočajo tudi dostop do celinske Kitajske in regije.

[1] Source: Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department.

[1] Vir: Hongkonški oddelek za popis prebivalstva in statistiko.

[2] Source: Figure represents the Composite CPI growth rate for the first eleven months of 2010, Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department.

[2] Vir: podatek predstavlja stopnjo rasti sestavljenega indeksa cen življenjskih potrebščin za prvih enajst mesecev leta 2010, Hongkonški oddelek za popis prebivalstva in statistiko.

[3] Source: Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department

[3] Vir: Hongkonški oddelek za popis prebivalstva in statistiko.

--------------------------------------------------