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The following press release is jointly issued by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the German Consulate General in Hong Kong:
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in Berlin (Berlin ETO) commenced operation today (March 9).
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mrs Rita Lau, welcomed the setting up of the new office. ˇ§With the formal establishment of an office in Berlin, I believe that this would greatly help to foster closer economic and trade ties between Hong Kong and Germany and other countries in central and eastern Europe,ˇ¨ she said.
The Berlin team has been working in Brussels since 2007 pending completion of formalities by the German Government for the setting up of the Berlin ETO.
ˇ§During this period, the team has built up good connections and laid the ground for the promotion work, in addition to preparing for the opening of the Berlin office,ˇ¨ the Director of Berlin ETO, Mr Stephen Wong, said.
ˇ§My colleagues and I in the new office will continue to explore new grounds in the region, with a view to promoting Hong Kongˇ¦s overall image and its attributes as a vibrant city of opportunities, particularly our services sector and our unique role as the gateway to Mainland China.ˇ¨
Mr Wong also expressed his gratitude to the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Consulate General in Hong Kong for their support in the establishment of the Berlin ETO.
The Berlin ETO is the official representative of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland. The office of the ETO is located at Second Floor, Friedrichstrasse 50, 10117 Berlin, Germany (tel: 49 (0) 30 22 66 77 22 8; fax: 49 (0) 30 22 66 77 28 8; email: cee@hketoberlin.gov.hk).
Ends/Monday, March 9, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:00
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