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還有一個多月便是公布新一份財政預算案的日子，這陣子繼續密集地進行相關的諮詢工作，了解市民及不同持份者的想法及意見。昨天我便出席了電台直播節目，與現場的市民、電台聽眾及網民交流對預算案的看法。

The consultation work for the Budget is now proceeding at full steam. We have been meeting representatives from sectoral organisations, professional bodies, political parties, think tanks and chambers of commerce, etc to discuss the various challenges ahead of different sectors and our society, and exchange views on Hong Kong’s economy and the government's financial situation. On top of these formal consultation sessions, I also walked into the community from time to time to chat with citizens and listen to their expectations for the Budget directly.

At the end of last month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its latest report, reinforcing Hong Kong's position as a global financial centre, a regional trading hub, and one of the most open economies in the world. Hong Kong continues to maintain its advantage and competitiveness in terms of free flow of capital and information, simple tax regime, robust regulatory system, the rule of law, and quality professional services, etc. Among them, the sound regulatory policy and structure have maintained the stability of Hong Kong's financial system; the ample fiscal reserves have also provided the HKSAR Government with sufficient buffers to implement counter-cyclical measures to help Hong Kong cope with economic difficulties.