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The Hong Kong Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs, USA, Mr Donald Tong, accompanied by Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (SFETO), Mr Jeff Leung, today (September 14, San Francisco time) completed a four-day visit to Texas, covering the cities of Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas.
Mr Tong met the Governor of Texas, Mr Rick Perry, to update him on the latest development of Hong Kong and to further strengthen the trade and economic ties between Hong Kong and Texas.
¡§Texas is a very important trading partner of Hong Kong. In 2008, the State of Texas exported more than US$1.26 billion worth of goods to Hong Kong ¡V ranking third amongst all US states. The top exports to Hong Kong were computers and electronic equipment, chemical products, and transportation equipment,¡¨Mr Tong said.
Texan companies have a strong presence in Hong Kong. Some examples of Texan companies with operations or subsidiaries in Hong Kong include American Airlines, Continental Airlines, AT&T, Dell Computer, ExxonMobil, Fossil and Texas Instruments.
In addition to the meeting with Governor Perry, Mr Tong also met State Senator and Chairman of Senate International Relations and Trade Committee, Mr Eddie Lucio in Austin as well as Deputy Comptroller of Public Accounts of Texas, Mr Martin Hubert and Deputy Secretary of State of Texas Mr Coby Shorter III. Austin mayor Mr Lee Leffingwell and San Antonio mayor Mr Juliˆhn Castro also met Mr Tong.
During his four-day visit, Mr Tong addressed business and community leaders at numerous speaking engagements organised by SFETO, chambers of commerce and local trade organisations. He also spoke at the University of Texas at Austin, Trinity University in San Antonio and Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In Austin, he met Chancellor of University of Texas System Dr Francisco Cigarroa.
At the speaking engagements, Mr Tong spoke on Hong Kong¡¦s economic performance and outlook as well as the new initiatives in Hong Kong. He also talked about Hong Kong¡¦s latest efforts in promoting tourism as well as the many trade and investment opportunities that Hong Kong could offer.
¡§We are committed to further enhancing our business environment and our long-term competitiveness. According to the World Bank¡¦s Doing Business 2010 Report released on September 9, Hong Kong remains as the third easiest place to do business in the world. The city is also ranked 11th most competitive economy in the Global Competitiveness Report conducted by the World Economic Forum together with its network of Partner Institutes,¡¨ he said.
During his stay, Mr Tong also visited the Port of Houston and Dallas/Fort-Worth Airport and met with their senior management.
Ends/Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Issued at HKT 11:46
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