| Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai working full steam ahead |
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The Director and staff of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai of the HKSAR Government (Shanghai ETO) have begun work in earnest after opening a temporary office early this month, and had a packed schedule visiting a province and municipalities to build up their liaison network.
The Director, Mr Patrick Chan Chi-king, has visited Hangzhou and Ningbo to pay courtesy calls on leaders of the Zhejiang Provincial Government, and the municipal governments of Hangzhou and Ningbo. They exchanged views on how cooperation between Hong Kong and these places could be enhanced. The officials he met all agreed that the establishment of the Shanghai ETO would better facilitate co-operation and exchanges with Hong Kong, and would provide a more convenient and effective channel for strengthening communication. In Ningbo, Mr Chan attended the 2006 Ningbo - Hong Kong Economic Co-operation Forum co-organised by the Ningbo Municipal Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and gave a speech at the opening ceremony on September 20. "As an international financial and business centre, Hong Kong has world-class talent and professionalism, and could serve as an effective and reliable platform for Mainland enterprises to enter international markets, in accordance with the country's 'attracting inward investment' and 'going out' principle," he said. He will attend the National Day reception hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Government tomorrow (September 30), and plans to call on the leaders of the governments of Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei after the National Day holidays, to exchange views on how co-operation between Hong Kong and Shanghai and the three provinces can be further strengthened. The Shanghai ETO was set up to foster economic and trade links between Hong Kong and the municipality of Shanghai and the four provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei, as well as exchanges in other areas; and to provide appropriate support services for Hong Kong enterprises and residents in the region. The Shanghai ETO will provide enterprises in the region with information and services about investing in and setting up offices in Hong Kong; assist Hong Kong enterprises in entering the Mainland market; and facilitate investment activities between Hong Kong and the region. The temporary office of the Shanghai ETO opened on September 6. It is located at Level 15, One Corporate Avenue, 222 Hubin Road, Luwan District, Shanghai (Tel: 86-21-61221233; Fax: 86-21-61221468). The setting up of a permanent office is being actively pursued, and details will be announced in due course. Ends/Friday, September 29, 2006 |