HONG KONG 2005

Brussels ETO arranged programmes for several senior officials during 2005: the Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Labour (February), the Secretary for the Civil Service (April), the Secretary for Industry, Commerce and Technology (May and December), the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food (May), the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour (September). London ETO arranged programmes for the Secretary for Justice in January, the Secretary for Education and Manpower (February and July), the Secretary for the Civil Service (April) and the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology (May). All promoted aspects of Hong Kong within their fields of responsibility.

Mr Donald Tsang made his first visit to Britain as Chief Executive during November. He met the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, briefed Members of Parliament, had a round-table meeting with financial executives, addressed a top-level research group, launched a major promotion by the Hong Kong Tourism Board at Harrods and unveiled the London ETO's inaugural entry in the City of London Lord Mayor's Show. The show took the form of a parade through the streets of London on November 12, with Hong Kong's entry being a colourful float with a dragon dance. About 500 000 people watched the show, which was broadcast nationally in Britain and also to the BBC's 300 million global audience. Mr Tsang also appeared on the BBC's HardTalk programme and was guest of honour at a joint concert which London ETO arranged involving the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Brussels ETO, with the support of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society, arranged the European tour of the Hong Kong Film Panorama. The festival, showcasing some of Hong Kong's most recent productions, was held in Hamburg, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Vienna, Barcelona, Luxembourg and Stockholm. A Hong Kong Photo Exhibition was held at Brussels National Airport during the months of December 2005 and January 2006. It was estimated that around 970 000 passengers used the airport during the period.

London ETO organised Chinese New Year receptions in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Warsaw, Zurich, Budapest, Prague, Oslo, Moscow and St Petersburg (the last three including business seminars) and followed up with further seminars in Budapest and Warsaw in December. The Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Communities and the Director-General, London, also visited the 31 countries under their purview during the year, where they met senior officials and business leaders and gave interviews to the local media, informing them of current developments in Hong Kong.

Mr Donald Tsang, met political leaders, think tanks, lobby groups and business people in Vancouver, New York and Washington DC in October during his first official overseas visit after his installation.

In speeches in all three cities, he updated his audiences on Hong Kong's political, economic and social developments and outlined the potential for visionary businesses to tap into the Pan-Pearl River Delta market of 460 million. In Vancouver, Mr Tsang and the Guangdong Governor, Mr Huang Huahua, hosted the Hong Kong-Guangdong Business Forum, the first joint large-scale promotion in Canada.

In New York Mr Tsang had a breakfast meeting with a group of distinguished business people and financiers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and gave a keynote speech at a luncheon attended by over 330 guests from the business, financial, academic and media sectors. He also had a cordial private meeting with former President Bill Clinton before setting off to Washington.

In Washington, he met the Vice-President, Mr Richard Cheney, the Secretary of State, Dr Condoleezza Rice, congressional leaders and prominent think tanks and later delivered a keynote address at the annual gala dinner of the Asia Society Washington Centre where he was honoured with the Asia Society Leadership Award.

The Financial Secretary visited New York in September to meet a number of senior officers and business leaders including the President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, credit rating agencies and the US media.

After his New York round of meetings, he travelled on to Washington where he attended the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund and met Mr Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board; Mr Allan Hubbard, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council; and Mr Robert Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State.

Mr Tang returned to the United States a month later to host the Hong Kong-Guangdong Business Conference: USA 2005 in San Francisco which attracted more than 1 000 participants from the business community in the Bay Area. He also took the opportunity to meet business leaders in Silicon Valley, including Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo! Inc.

During the year, the San Francisco, New York, Washington and Toronto ETOs organised a number of high-profile events, both business and cultural, to promote Hong Kong. Apart from the joint business forum in Vancouver, the Toronto ETO launched the first annual national business forum with the eight sections of the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association in Ottawa. Other major events included San Francisco ETO's 'Hong Kong Day' event in April featuring a performance by the Hong Kong Wushu Team and the 10th annual 'Made in Hong Kong' festival arranged by Washington ETO. In New York, the ETO and the Hong Kong Association of New York jointly organised performances by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the CCDC Dance Company.

The HKSAR and Japanese governments joined forces for the first time on a year-long project to promote and strengthen bilateral ties. The 'Hong Kong-Japan Year 2005' project was launched in Japan concurrently with the 'Japan-Hong Kong Year 2005' project in Hong Kong.

'Hong Kong-Japan Year 2005', a series of exchange activities on business, education, tourism and culture, was launched by the Financial Secretary during his visit to Tokyo in January. The project culminated in the Hong Kong Week in mid October when three major events were held — the Symposium on Youths in Hong Kong and Japan combined with the Education Roadshow, which was organised by Hong Kong universities; the Second Hong Kong Sedan Chair Race in Yokohama and the Hong Kong Pop Culture Symposium cum Film Festival.

A number of groups made separate visits to Hong Kong to mark the Hong Kong-Japan project. They included members of the Japan Hong Kong Parliamentary League — led by former Japanese Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata — the Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Japan, New Komeito and delegations from Japanese ministries.

Two special supplements, published in the Japanese national daily, Mainichi Shimbun, at the start and end of the project boosted publicity on the exchange. In addition, satellite channel BS-i broadcast a one-hour special TV programme featuring Hong Kong's advantages and attractions.

After visiting Japan, the Financial Secretary travelled on to South Korea for a series of meeting with government ministers and financial experts. During the year, the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology and the Secretary for Security also visited both countries while the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury visited Korea and the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Land visited Japan.

The Financial Secretary, Mr Henry Tang, led a Hong Kong delegation to Bangkok, Thailand, in May to stage a 'Discover the Hong Kong Magic' tourism promotion. More than 250 guests from the Thailand tourism sector and the media attended the luncheon presentation. Later, Mr Tang visited Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to discuss a wide range of issues with senior government officials. He also met with business leaders, major financial institutions and the media to update them on the latest economic developments in Hong Kong.

The following month the 'Discover the Hong Kong Magic' event was launched in Singapore and also warmly received by about 250 guests from the government and diplomatic circle, the tourism industry and the media.

The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Frederick Ma, visited Bangkok in September to sign a comprehensive agreement for the avoidance of double taxation with Thailand. During his trip, he also met top government officials and the media to promote Hong Kong's strengths as an international financial centre and an equity centre for the region.

Throughout the year, a series of talks on Pan Pearl River Delta cooperation and the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) were staged in key cities of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to promote Hong Kong as a gateway to the Mainland China market.

World-renowned Hong Kong tenor Warren Mok and evergreen Hong Kong actress Chan Po-chu visited Singapore in July and September respectively to stage performances. The Singapore ETO sponsored the events by inviting a total of more than 160 distinguished guests to enjoy the shows, during which Hong Kong's cultural achievements were showcased.

In July, the Singapore ETO sponsored a Hong Kong team to race in the Singapore Dragon Boat Festival 2005. The Brand Hong Kong visual identity was prominently featured at this international event.

A number of senior officials from Hong Kong visited Australia during the year, including the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour and the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food.

To promote Hong Kong as Asia's world city and a gateway to China, Sydney ETO commissioned two reports on Hong Kong, one published in April in The Australian, the country's national daily, and the other in the July edition of Company Director, the magazine of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. The office also helped organise a number of networking events with such organisations as the Australia China Business Council, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Asia Inc Forum and the Hong Kong Australia Business Association.

On the cultural front, the office joined forces with organisers of the Adelaide Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Asian Film Festival Aotearoa in Auckland to present a selection of quality Hong Kong films. A panel discussion on 'Hong Kong Cinema: The Evolution of a Chinese Hollywood' was also organised. The office also supported the Australian Centre for the Moving Image's retrospective on Wong Kar-wai's films in Melbourne and Sydney.

In February, the office again gave its support to the annual Dragon Boat Races, part of the Chinese New Year Festival celebrations in Sydney.