AIA Quest for the Champion Communicator 2004
The Final Round of the AIA Quest for the Champion Communicator 2004; the bilingual oral contest organised by the Association, took place on Sunday 11 April at the Science Hall, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, Peoples?Republic of China.

The AIA Quest for the Champion Communicator, now in its third year, brought together students from 17 universities throughout Hong Kong and China, to compete for the title of Champion Communicator in the Final Round.

All 18 contestants received certificates for taking part and the top three received trophies and cash prizes. Li Zhi Jun of Dongbei University of Finance and Economics took third place, winning RMB3,000 and Liu Zheng of the University of Hong Kong took second place, winning RMB5,000. Nancy Zhu, also of the University of Hong Kong, was crowned AIA Champion Communicator 2004, winning RMB10,000.

The Final Round was officiated by Tommy Tam, FAIA, AIA President, who was joined by the Guest of Honour, Cui Jian Min, President of the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants; Chen Hua, Director General of Foreign Funds Application Audit Department, National Audit Office; Professor Li Wen Xing, School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University; Jackson Yeung, FAIA, Immediate Past President, AIA Hong Kong Branch; Cao Lei, Vice President, China Education Service Centre; and Eliza Yuen, Director, HLM Academy Limited.

Speaking at the contest, Mr Tam said: although the AIA is an international accountancy body, English is the language of international business and we promote the importance of good English standards. The Association was the first UK based professional accountancy body to insist on good oral and presentation skills. All students who successfully complete the AIA examinations, when applying for membership, are required to undertake a viva voce; an interview conducted 100 percent in English. This is the Association's quality assurance.It is my hope and that of the Association, that the AIA Quest for the Champion Communicator will encourage university students in China and Hong Kong to work harder at improving their English skills.

He continued: Now that China is a member of the World Trade Organisation, there are growing numbers of overseas investors coming to China to establish their businesses or to seek business partners. They will require highly qualified professionals with good English skills, accountants will be among those in high demand and AIA is committed to training accountants to help meet this need. In addition, as a result of increasing opportunities for the people of Hong Kong to work closely with the people on the Mainland, good Putonghua skills are becoming more and more popular and important.