COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
and Trade Offices (HKETOS) in Washington, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Brussels and Tokyo. A HKETO is also maintained in Geneva to deal with Hong Kong's international trade issues under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
These overseas offices (with the exception of Geneva) are responsible for overseeing the government's public relations and publicity efforts in their respective regions or countries. They provide a general news and information service, brief the media and work with GIS to produce news releases, features and articles tailored to the specific requirements of their markets. The offices also monitor parliamentary proceedings or congressional debates on issues that might have a bearing on Hong Kong, as well as media coverage of relevant topics.
The offices organise visits programmes to Hong Kong for invited influential policy- makers, government officials, politicians and opinion leaders to provide them with the opportunity to learn more about Hong Kong, its interests and inter-relationships with the world community. They work closely with the 'Hong Kong family' (Hong Kong-related organisations) to promote interest in Hong Kong and a greater understanding of the issues affecting the territory, as well as handling numerous public and business enquiries on all types of issues.
In addition to these services, each of the overseas offices produces special newsletters containing a digest of news and events in Hong Kong. These are widely distributed to contacts throughout the respective countries.
At present, there are no Hong Kong Government offices in Australia or New Zealand, but a firm has been appointed to provide public relations coverage in this region.
Special Events North America
In an effort to further strengthen Hong Kong-United States ties, the Honourable Mrs Anson Chan, made her first official visit to the United States as Chief Secretary in April. Her itinerary in Washington, D.C. included a meeting with the American Vice-President, Mr Al Gore, other cabinet members and congressional leaders, as well as academics, business people and media representatives in both the national capital and New York. In October, she made her first official visit to Canada as Chief Secretary, to broaden the already strong ties between the two territories.
The year was marked by the largest promotion Hong Kong has ever staged in the United States. Hong Kong-USA '94 began with Dragon Boat Festivals and other cultural events in Philadelphia, Boston and New York from May to August. These were followed by a week-long business and cultural programme in New York, Chicago and Atlanta in October.
During this period, a series of business seminars was held, together with separate workshops or breakout sessions covering Hong Kong's capital markets, telecommunica- tions, the new airport and China's consumer market. Gala dinners featuring performances by the Academy for Performing Arts were also organised, while a Hong Kong film festival was staged at prestigious venues in each city. Other highlights included an architectural exhibition at the Chicago Athenaeum, featuring models and display plans of some of Hong Kong's most outstanding buildings, and a Hong Kong Showcase Exhibition in New York and Atlanta.
357