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The Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr John Tsang, will leave Hong Kong tonight (November 21) to attend the African Union (AU) Conference of Ministers of Trade in Arusha, Tanzania.
Ministers attending the conference will work towards a common position on individual issues under Doha Development Agenda (DDA) in preparation for the Sixth Ministerial Conference (MC6) of the World Trade Organization to be held next month in Hong Kong.
The four-day meeting will discuss the state of negotiations on a number ofˇ@issues, including agriculture, services, Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and Public Health, non-agricultural market access, rules, environment, and Special and Differential Treatment. Mr Tsang will attend the Interactive Ministerial Session on Wednesday (November 23) during which he will discuss with trade ministers of the AU progress of the DDA negotiations and seek their support for MC6.
Mr Tsang will return to Hong Kong on Saturday (November 26).
Ends/Monday, November 21, 2005
Issued at HKT 15:00
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