TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Backed by nearly 30 years' experience, and as a pioneer in trade publishing in Hong Kong, the TDC continued its move into the era of multi-media publishing by producing a CD-ROM supplement to its Hong Kong Electronics magazine. The council's 17 product magazines had a combined global circulation of 2.2 million copies, providing sourcing information and contacts for overseas buyers and helping to strengthen Hong Kong's position as Asia's major sourcing, distribution and trade servicing hub.
The TDC is at the forefront of efforts to promote the territory's design capabilities. Through its Design Gallery, the council continues to encourage and promote design excellence. The Design Gallery also helps the territory's manufacturers and designers to test-market their products. In 1995–96, 21 000 innovative products were featured and an average of 50 000 local and international visitors passed through the Design Gallery each month.
Fashion is a flagship for design promotion. The TDC stages regular salon shows in Hong Kong to launch the collections of local designers, and large-scale catwalk shows both overseas and in the mainland to introduce Hong Kong designers and labels to international audiences. More than 200 individual designers and labels were featured in the TDC's 25 fashion shows around the world in 1995-96.
To raise Hong Kong's profile as an important trading power and to advance its business interests in world markets, the TDC conducts an active programme to develop contacts with international business leaders, policy-makers and the media. The connections built are most helpful in spreading positive messages about Hong Kong and its advantages as a business hub in Asia. In 1995-96, the TDC received 402 business missions from 38 countries, involving more than 4 000 company executives. Targeted business appointments were arranged to help mission members buy, sell, and explore new partnerships and opportunities in the territory.
The Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation
Created by statute in 1966 to provide insurance protection for Hong Kong exporters against non-payment risks arising from commercial and political events, the Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation (ECIC) celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1996. Its capital is wholly-owned by the Hong Kong Government which also guarantees its contingent liability, currently standing at $7,500 million.
The ECIC's mission is to encourage and support export trade through the provision of professional and customer-oriented services. This is achieved through, firstly, the development of a positive corporate culture and an open participatory management devoted to excellence, quality and a continuous improvement process and, secondly, the delivery of prompt, effective and comprehensive services to meet the aspirations of Hong Kong exporters.
The corporation provides a wide range of insurance facilities to Hong Kong exporters of goods and services trading on credit terms with overseas buyers and clients for credit periods normally up to 180 days. Among them, the most popular facility is the Comprehensive Shipments Policy which covers export and re-export of goods from the date of shipment. Ranking second is the External Trade Shipments Policy, which covers the export of goods manufactured outside Hong Kong and delivered direct to the buyer whether it is in the buyer's country or a third country.
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