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The Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Technology), Mrs Rita Lau, will depart Hong Kong tomorrow (November 28) for a duty visit to Singapore to attend a series of activities related to the information and communication technology (ICT) industry.
Accompanied by the Deputy Government Chief Information Officer (Operation), Mr Stephen Mak, Mrs Lau will first attend a gala dinner hosted by the Asian-Oceanian Computer Industry Organisation (ASOCIO) on the night of her arrival. She will give a speech and introduce Hong Kong as the hosting city of the ASOCIO ICT Summit 2008 next December.
As a federation of computing industry associations from the Asian-Oceanian region, the ASOCIO organises an ICT Summit in one of its 20 member countries/economies annually to foster co-operation and promote development of the ICT industry.
Mrs Lau will attend the award ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Information and Communication Technology Award (APICTA) on the following night.
APICTA is an international awards programme among the 16 member-economies of APICTA Alliance, including Hong Kong, to increase ICT awareness in the community and assist in bridging the digital divide.
During the three-day programme, Mrs Lau will visit the Infocomm Development Authority, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research and the E-Government Leadership Centre. During these visits, she will discuss matters of mutual interest, including facilitation measures on technology and innovation, RFID, national/regional digital strategy plans, e-government leadership programmes and the media industry.
To enhance the potential for mutual cooperation between the ICT industries in both places, Mrs Lau will also join a breakfast meeting hosted by the Singapore infocomm Technology Federation, together with Hong Kong ICT industry representatives who are in Singapore taking part in the ASOCIO and APICTA events.
Mrs Lau will return to Hong Kong on November 30 (Friday).
Ends/Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:42
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