| Directors and colleagues,
Happy New Year!
It is my great pleasure to share this evening with over 1,100
of our directors, managers, and staff.
2003 was a year of trials and tribulations. Hong Kong experienced
its fifth consecutive year of deflation, the economy was stagnant,
and on top of all that, there was the SARS outbreak. Fortunately,
the dedication of our medical professionals and the vigilance
of the community at large brought the virus under control.
New Central Government-supported policies in the latter half
of the year aimed at stimulating economic activity such as
CEPA, the lifting of restrictions for individual travelers
from the mainland, and the opening up of the Reminbi clearing
business in Hong Kong have helped to bring about an economic
revival. Hong Kong also has its own natural advantages such
as geographic location, access to the mainland market, free
economy, international ties, well-developed financial, transport
and communications systems, and well-established commercial
law. I believe that if we can regain our confidence and meet
challenges head on, we will be able to identify and seize
new opportunities and reach new heights.
Despite increasingly intense global competition, the Group's
various businesses continued to grow over the past year. I
take this opportunity to thank all our executives and colleagues
for their hard work and dedication. 3G will continue to be
our Group’s primary focus in a number of countries this
year. The new 3G handsets will be launched in Hong Kong within
one week and will be available in other markets within three
weeks. We are confident that this revolutionary service will
create new excitement in the market for multimedia mobile
communications, and that with the continuous improvement in
technology, 3G will soon become a necessity in our modern
life. Our number of employees has increased to 170,000, and
we now have investments and operations in 39 countries. We
will continue to build on our philosophy of merging eastern
and western styles of management. With our outstanding management
and staff, and solid financials, I am positive that we can
continue to seize new opportunities and forge new growth.
Despite the many challenges that lie in our path, I have complete
confidence in our Group's future prospects.
Thank you, and I wish you all a happy and successful New
Year.
Li Ka Shing
|
