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The Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, will officiate at a ceremony in Busan, Korea on Wednesday (September 8) to launch the ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006, which will be held in Hong Kong in December 2006.

The Vice Minister of Information Industry of the People's Republic of China, Mr Jiang Yaoping, and the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Mr Yoshio Utsumi, will also officiate at the ceremony. A reception will be hosted jointly by Mr Jiang and Mr Tsang in the evening to commemorate the official launch of the event.

ITU TELECOM WORLD is the most prominent global telecommunications event held every three to four years. It is the first time that ITU TELECOM WORLD will be held outside Geneva since its inception in 1971.

During his stay in Busan, Mr Tsang will meet with the Mayor of Busan, Dr Hur Nam-sik, and address a luncheon of the Busan Chamber of Commerce, where he will brief Korean business leaders on Hong Kong's latest economic developments and the investment opportunities made available under CEPA.

Mr Tsang will also visit some IT establishments in Busan to see the latest developments in the information and communications technology sector there.

Mr Tsang will return to Hong Kong on Thursday (September 9).

Ends/Sunday, September 5, 2004

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