COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA
In early November, the Toronto Office, together with the Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Bureau, and the Provisional Urban Council organised cultural performances in Vancouver and Toronto. The 86-member Chinese orchestra performed two concerts in Vancouver and one at the prestigious Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.
United Kingdom
After his visit to Brussels in October, Mr Tung went to London where he met the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair; the Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook and the President of the Board of Trade, Mrs Margaret Beckett. He also attended the Hong Kong Trade Development Council Annual Dinner and addressed the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
A business workshop for small and medium enterprises interested in setting up business in Hong Kong was held in London in October.
In November, the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, addressed a seminar organised by the Confederation of British Industry and the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
Other activities during the year included a Hong Kong film week organised in conjunction with the Barbican Arts Centre in June and two musical evenings staged in October by the Academy of Performing Arts - one in London and the other in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh performance was part of the 'Precious Cargo' exhibition on Scottish-Chinese trade at the Royal Museum of Scotland.
The HK film week in London featured the UK premiere of the award-winning film, Comrades Almost a Love Story, with film director Peter Chan attending the gala
opening.
Brussels
The Chief Executive visited Brussels in October to brief senior officials of the European Union and the Belgian government on the latest developments in Hong Kong. Mr Tung was met by, among others, the President of the European Commission, Mr Jacques Santer, the members of the European Parliament and the Prime Minister of Belgium, Mr Jean-Luc Dehaene.
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr Joseph Yam, addressed a seminar entitled 'Hong Kong's Monetary Arrangements Through 1997' when he visited Frankfurt in March. It was part of a series of events aimed at assuring international financial and banking communities of the stability of the Hong Kong dollar and monetary system after the transfer of sovereignty.
In co-operation with the Royal Film Archive in Brussels, the Brussels Office organised a month-long retrospective of Hong Kong cinema in June. A gala film show was staged in conjunction with it. In the same month, the office was joint host of a gala dinner with the Belgium-Hong Kong Society and also organised a Hong Kong Food Week in a Brussels hotel in late June and early July.
Australia
The Financial Secretary visited Australia in late August. During the week-long programme, which covered Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, Mr Tsang met the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Mr Tim Fischer, Cabinet Ministers,
311