I AM pleased to have the opportunity for the third time to address the people of Hong Kong and the Italian community on the occasion of Italian National Day.
Over the past year, the Italian presence here continued to increase from a commercial and economic point of view as well as in terms of size.
Bilateral trade increased with our exports growing 21 per cent. This makes Italy Hong Kong's ninth major supplier.
Once again, it is with great pleasure that I acknowledge the Italian religious community. For many years it has provided valuable support to charity and humanitarian activities.
Another positive element has been the Italian Business Association (IBA) which has achieved remarkable results in its first year.
The Dante Alighieri, the Italian Cultural Society, has continued to organise language courses.
At the same time, the Italian language has been graded as a ''minor'' course at the Chinese University, while, at the Hong Kong University, the possibility of increasing the number of Italian-language courses is being considered.
