E-commerce Development Task Force convenes first meeting (with photos)

     The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau today (January 29) established the E-commerce Development Task Force and convened its first meeting to kick-start the work on co-ordinating and formulating policies and measures on the development of electronic commerce (e-commerce).
 
     The Chief Executive announced in the 2023 Policy Address the establishment of the interdepartmental Task Force to implement policies to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing e-commerce business to expand their markets. The Task Force is chaired by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, with members from the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, the Trade and Industry Department, the Customs and Excise Department, and Hongkong Post, as well as the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation and the Hong Kong Productivity Council.
 
     Mr Yau said, "E-commerce business is growing rapidly worldwide and involves various government policy areas and objectives. Government bureaux and departments shall work together to formulate policies and measures to assist Hong Kong enterprises in expanding their businesses and enhancing their competitiveness through developing e-commerce."
 
     "To kick-start the work of the Task Force, we will implement a series of measures this year, including organising Hong Kong Shopping Festivals on e-commerce platforms; launching E-commerce Easy under the Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales; and strengthening the provision by the four SME centres of information on conducting e-commerce on the Mainland, with a view to assisting SMEs in leveraging the enormous opportunities of the Mainland domestic sales and e-commerce markets," he added.
 
     At the meeting today, the Task Force considered and endorsed its terms of reference, reviewed the Government's existing support measures that facilitate the development of e-commerce by enterprises and discussed the aforementioned new measures, for charting the direction of the work of the Task Force.
 
     The meeting also endorsed the establishment of an expert group to offer advice to the Task Force to help keep the Government abreast of the market situation of e-commerce development and feedback from the trade more comprehensively. The expert group comprises Legislative Council Members from different sectors and representatives in the industry. The membership list is set out in the Annex.