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The World Trade Organization Hong Kong Ministerial Conference was running smoothly on its third day at the Convention and Exhibition Centre today (December 15).
Head of the Conference Co-ordination Office, Miss Janet Wong, said events are moving forward in a well-organised way. The Plenary Sessions continued today, with Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, hosting a cocktail reception for non-governmental organisations at the venue this afternoon. An Accession-Signing Ceremony for Tonga will be held this evening.
Miss Wong thanked the public for co-operating with the special traffic arrangements implemented by the Transport Department and the Police over the last few days, mainly in the Wan Chai and Causeway Bay areas.
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the public for their understanding and co-operation. This shows Hong Kong people at their best, as a tolerant and civic-minded community," she said. "I hope they can bear with us for the next few days. We will certainly continue to do all we can to keep inconvenience to a minimum," she said.
Assistant Director-General of Trade and Industry, Miss Rosanna Law, said negotiations at the Conference are gaining momentum, with Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology (Commerce and Industry), Miss Denise Yue, and Director-General of Trade and Industry, Mr Raymond Young, attending a large number of meetings, either individually with the facilitators, or together with like-minded delegations.
"We use these meetings to state our position on the various subjects, and offer our advice on where convergence might be pursued," Miss Law said.
"We attended the Plenary Session on Cotton and Bananas last night. The statements made by proponents were noted. The relevant facilitators will consult with the interested delegations. Although Hong Kong, China does not have a direct interest in these two specific areas, we do keep a close watch and keen interest in developments in these areas as part of our effort in bringing the Conference to a success," she said.
Ends/Thursday, December 15, 2005
Issued at HKT 18:49
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