Early October seems to be the time of year for celebrating epoch-making events. Just two days after all those dazzling National Day festivities that marked the 59th anniversary of the birth of the mainland, Germans the world over are today celebrating the 19th anniversary of the reunification of their nation. And Germans in Hong Kong are no exception.
Frank Burbach, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Hong Kong, stressed that the reunification was more than just a German phenomenon. 'In 1989, after 40 years of separation, it was the people of Germany themselves who, by a peaceful revolution, brought about unification and contributed to the end of the cold war. This success would not have been possible without the support of our partners and friends in the European Union and worldwide,' Mr Burbach explained.
'Not only did the event change German history, it changed the course of world history.' Developments in the divided Germany of 1989 did have a domino effect across Eastern Europe, and the consequences of Germany's reunification are still rippling across Europe and Asia.
Germany has consolidated on the remarkable events of that euphoric year to build a prosperous society. It is Europe's largest national economy and the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP, followed by China.
Germany has also become more active on the global arena in other areas. As Mr Burbach said: 'Germany is aware of its role as one of the driving forces of the EU and is taking more responsibilities in international politics as an outspoken advocate for peace, justice, human rights, freedom, democracy and environmental protection.'
German ties with Hong Kong are dominated by trade, as one might expect of relations between the two industrious societies. And it is a most encouraging picture. Germany, Hong Kong's largest EU trade partner, is seeing the graph rise again. According to the Hong Kong government, Germany's total trade volume with Hong Kong last year amounted to HK$129 billion, a 7.6 per cent increase over 2006.