Raymond Wong, chairman of the Movie Producers and Distributors Association of Hong Kong Limited (MPDA), made the remarks Tuesday at a press briefing organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) before 116 delegates from 61 Hong Kong companies are set to go to Beijing to meet with their mainland counterparts on October 15 to 18.

Wong said he would like to learn more about the film policy on the mainland in order to adjust his entry strategy, stressing that he hopes his proposal of allowing more Hong Kong involvement in the mainland's film distribution system would be considered.

Chan Wing Kee, executive director of Asia Television, also said that HKSAR's film workers can play an important role in the development of Chinese mainland movies.

"For example, mainland enterprises may capitalize on Hong Kong's international network of investment, production and distribution, to expand the market for Chinese TV and film products.

"Hong Kong will thus further strengthen its status as a major regional film distribution center and a marketplace for these products," he said.

Johnson Yip, services promotion manager of the TDC, told Xinhua that Hong Kong should be able to distribute Chinese language films well, as locally made films in Hong Kong are very popular in regions like South America, the Middle East, Asia and Europe, adding that in 1998 alone, 400 films were also sold to Russia for either being dubbed into Russian or subtitled in Russian.

During the exchange to take place in Beijing soon, the delegation will also be able to keep abreast of the latest policy and regulations changes on film and television on the mainland, Yip said.

Jointly organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) and China Film Group Corporation (CFGC), the delegation is the first and largest of its kind from Hong Kong after China's World Trade Organization entry, he said.

The delegation is also expected to meet with relevant mainland authorities and representatives from the State Administration of Radio, Film and TV (SARFT), the Film Bureau of SARFT, the Beijing Film Studio, China Central Television, he said.

Through a series of networking events, delegates are expected to explore possibilities for co-production with the mainland media enterprises, he said.

Chan Wing Kee said that the overwhelming support from the industry reflects their eagerness of penetrating into the mainland market and the need for more interaction with the mainland film players in order to get hold of latest market intelligence.

Raymond Wong said with Hong Kong being a major film production base in Asia and possessing a cultivated pool of film talents in the past few decades, Hong Kong is now capable of providing professional support for film industry worldwide.

The Chinese mainland and the HKSAR film industries can cooperate on film production matters, Wong said.

"The mainland is an ideal place for film shooting, as it is rich in natural and human resources. Hong Kong's financial and technological strength will also meet the huge demand for leisure products in the mainland market, thereby re-energizing the film sectors in both places," he said.

Chairman of Federation of Hong Kong Film Workers Ng See Yuen said he hoped that more Hong Kong films would be shown on the mainland in future.

The Federation of Hong Kong Film Workers, Hong Kong's Movie Producers and Distributors Association, Movie Producers and Distributors Association of Hong Kong Ltd and Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild are the supporting organizations of the event.

Two seminars will also be held in Beijing for the industry to exchange ideas on cooperation between mainland and Hong Kong film and TV enterprises and on developing international market for Chinese Language Film and TV Products.

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2002)