Six Top Economists at Sun Hung Kai Properties Nobel Laureates Distinguished Lectures

Press Releases

3 June 2005

Six Top Economists at
Sun Hung Kai Properties Nobel Laureates Distinguished Lectures

　　The Sun Hung Kai Properties Nobel Laureates Distinguished Lectures, jointly organized by the Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), were held on 3 June at the Grand Ballroom of Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel. HKSAR Government Acting Chief Executive Henry Tang; SHKP Vice Chairman & Managing Director Dr. Raymond Kwok, and CUHK Vice-Chancellor Prof. Lawrence J. Lau presided over the opening ceremony.

　　The lectures were on Emergence of China in the World Economy. Six world-renowned economists shared their insights in public lectures and panels. The speakers were Prof. Edward C. Prescott, 2004 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences; Prof. Robert A. Mundell, 1999 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences; Prof. Sir James A. Mirrlees, 1996 Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences; Prof. Alberto F. Alesina and Prof. Robert J. Barro from Harvard University; and Prof. Edmund S. Phelps from Columbia University. Government Economist Kwok Kwok Chuen and Li & Fung Group Chairman Dr. Victor Fung were the other panelists. Prof. Robert A. Mundell, known as "the father of the Euro", also talked about life and learning with local university and secondary school students.

　　The event was extremely well received, with more than one thousand people from all walks of life attending the lectures and panels. All the free tickets previously offered to the public were gone in one day.

　　The 2005 lectures were coordinated by CUHK's new Institute of Economics. The Institute draws together experts from the University's Departments of Economics and Department of Decision Sciences and Managerial Economics. The synergy will build upon the university's strengths in teaching and research in economics, facilitate cooperation with prestigious institutions worldwide and contribute to the advancement of economic theory and its application.

　　CUHK Vice-Chancellor Prof. Lawrence J. Lau said, "That so many economists and professionals of great renown should assemble under the same roof to shed light on a common topic is rare. The forum provides an excellent opportunity for the lay audience to appreciate the challenges faced by the Chinese economy in the age of globalization, and serves as a useful platform for academics and experts in the field to exchange views on ways of addressing these issues. We are thankful to The Sun Hung Kai Properties for its philanthropic munificence and unstinting support."

　　SHKP Vice Chairman & Managing Director Dr. Raymond Kwok said, "As we study the place of China in the world, we must also seek to understand Hong Kong's own distinctive role and continued potential for success. Sun Hung Kai Properties was founded in Hong Kong. It is here that we have grown and prospered. We believe wholeheartedly in its future. This belief is precisely why we instituted this lecture series together with The Chinese University of Hong Kong. It is a series that gives people, particularly young people, broader horizons; it offers them the tools and information they need to meet future challenges; and it puts affairs in a creative and international perspective. Above all, it can guide and inspire the people of Hong Kong by the examples it offers of rigorous scholarship in action."

Background
The Sun Hung Kai Properties Nobel Laureates Distinguished Lectures are made possible by a generous donation from Sun Hung Kai Properties, in collaboration with The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The series sees Nobel laureates in any of the six recognized fields (Physics, Chemistry, Physiology and Medicine, Literature, Peace and Economic Sciences) invited to Hong Kong each year to deliver public lectures, meet with scholars and professionals in the education and commercial sectors and share their accomplishments. The series began in 2004 and is intended to promote the discovery and dissemination of knowledge, professional and entrepreneurial expertise, as well as scholarly pursuits and contributions to humanity and society.

attachments:
Biography of Professor Edward C. Prescott
Biography of Professor Robert A. Mundell
Biography of Professor Sir James A. Mirrlees
Biography of Professor Alberto F. Alesina
Biography of Professor Robert J. Barro
Biography of Professor Edmund S. Phelps
Presentation of keynote speech: The Renminbi and the Global Economy by Prof. Mundell
Presentation of keynote speech: The Chinese Economy: Past and Future by Prof. Prescott
Presentation in panel: Business Cycles and the World Economy: Implications for the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong by Prof. Prescott
Presentation of keynote speech: Changing Economic Inequality in the Chinese Economies by Prof. Sir James A. Mirrlees

from left to right: Professor Liu Pak Wai, Professor Robert J .Barro, Professor Sir James A. Mirrlees, Professor Lawrence J. Lau, Dr. Raymond Kwok, Mr. Henry Tang, Dr. Egar Cheng, Professor Robert A. Mundell, Professor Edward C. Prescott, Professor Alberto F. Alesina, Professor Edmund S. Phelps

Celebrating the inauguration of CUHK's Institute of Economics

Mr. Henry Tang, Acting Chief Executive, delivered address in the opening ceremony

from left to right: Professor Lawrence J. Lau, Professor Sir James A. Mirrlees, Dr. Raymond Kwok , Professor Robert A. Mundell, Professor Edward C. Prescott.

Professor Edward C. Prescott

Professor Robert A. Mundell

Professor Sir James A. Mirrlees

Professor Lawrence J. Lau

Professor Edward C. Prescott took pictures with secondary school students

Professor Robert A. Mundell took pictures with secondary school students after his lecture

Panelists exchanged views on "World Economic Growth: Implications for the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong" (from left to right: Professor Liu Pak Wai, Professor Sir James A. Mirrlees, Dr. Victor Fung, Professor Robert J .Barro)