The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, will leave Hong Kong on April 2 for a duty visit to Ljubljana in Slovenia and Milan in Italy. During his visit, Mr So will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Slovenia on co-operation in wine-related businesses, and officiate at the opening ceremony of the "Confluence · 20+ Creative Ecologies of Hong Kong" exhibition (Confluence · 20+) at Milan Design Week 2017.

     Mr So will arrive in Ljubljana on April 2 (Ljubljana time). He will sign the MOU on Co-operation in Wine-related Businesses between Hong Kong and Slovenia, and visit a wine cellar in the afternoon.

     On April 3, Mr So will deliver a keynote speech at a seminar-cum-luncheon, "Hong Kong - Slovenia: Opportunities in Hong Kong for Slovenian Business", co-organised by a business magazine in Slovenia and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Berlin.

     During his stay in Ljubljana, he will also call on the Chinese Embassy in Slovenia and meet with senior government officials of Slovenia. He will proceed to Milan, Italy, on April 3 evening.

     On April 4 (Milan time), Mr So will hold meetings with senior officials of the Lombardy Region and the City of Milan and visit the Zona Tortona, a design-related cluster in Milan. In the evening, he will officiate at the opening ceremony of the Confluence · 20+ exhibition at Milan Design Week and host a dinner for representatives of the exhibition organiser, the Hong Kong Design Centre, and participating designers. The exhibition is also an accredited event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He will meet with representatives of the local business sector before concluding his visit in Milan on April 5.

     Mr So will return to Hong Kong on April 6. The Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Godfrey Leung, will be the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development during Mr So's absence.

Ends/Friday, March 31, 2017
Issued at HKT 15:00

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