SCIT to visit Europe
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    The Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr Joseph WP Wong, will leave tonight (November 5) for a 5-day visit to three major European cities - Budapest, Geneva and Paris.

     During his stay in Budapest, Mr Wong will deliver a keynote speech at a business seminar jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London. He will also meet with senior Government officials and business leaders of Hungary, including the Hungarian Minister of Economy and Transport, Dr. Janos Koka, and Ambassador-at-large and ex-Prime Minister HE Peter Medgyessy.

     During his stopover in Geneva, Mr Wong will meet the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Mr Pascal Lamy, as well as the Chairs of various WTO Trade Negotiating Groups to exchange views on the latest development of the Doha Round of negotiations.  He will also take the opportunity to meet Professor Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of World Economic Forum, a Geneva-based independent international organisation which organises the annual meeting in Davos and publishes the annual Global Competitiveness Report.

     In Paris, Mr Wong will join the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, at a business luncheon and the Hong Kong France Business Partnership Plenary jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels.  He will also attend the Hong Kong-Guangdong Business Conference co-organised by Invest Hong Kong and the Guangdong Provincial Government, and address the Hong Kong Business Seminar co-hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Invest Hong Kong.

     Mr Wong will arrive back in Hong Kong on November 11.

Ends/Sunday, November 5, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:00

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