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The Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, will leave for Montana in the United States tonight (May 17) to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) ministerial meetings.
Mr So will attend the APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRTs) on May 19 and 20, during which trade ministers from APEC member economies will discuss ways to move the negotiations of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) forward to the next phase, with the aim of sustaining the overall strength of the multilateral trading system. The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Mr Pascal Lamy, will brief ministers on the current status of DDA negotiations.
Ministers will also exchange views on three priorities for APEC this year. These are strengthening regional economic integration and expanding trade, promoting green growth, and advancing regulatory convergence and co-operation.
After the MRTs' meeting, Mr So will participate in a joint meeting among APEC economies' MRTs and Ministers for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the afternoon of May 20 to discuss barriers impeding SMEs' ability to trade in the Asia-Pacific region, and how APEC can improve the business environment for SMEs to overcome such barriers.
On May 21, Mr So will attend the 18th APEC SMEs Ministerial Meeting. Under the theme "Leveraging Partnerships with APEC Small Businesses to Foster Innovation and Create an Entrepreneurial Society", the SME ministers will discuss ways to promote SMEs' use of new technologies to reduce the costs of doing business and policies for supporting green SMEs. Ministers will also explore how to help SMEs embrace business ethics to enhance their competitiveness.
Mr So will be back in Hong Kong next Monday (May 23).
Ends/Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Issued at HKT 16:01
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