Commerce and Industry 115
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices seek to promote economic and trade interests by enhancing understanding of the HKSAR among opinion-formers; closely monitoring developments that might affect the HKSAR's economic and trading interests, such as proposed legislation; and liaising closely with the business and commercial sectors, politicians, think tanks and the news media. They also organise events to promote Hong Kong's image. In addition, most of these offices seek to attract direct investment into Hong Kong by, for instance, promoting Hong Kong's business advantages under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.
The offices are located in Brussels, Geneva, London, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Washington and Guangdong.
The Brussels office represents Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in dealings with the European Union (EU). It also monitors and promotes bilateral relations with the EU and its old member states except the United Kingdom.
The Geneva office represents Hong Kong, China, as a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and represents Hong Kong as an observer on the Trade Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The London office promotes Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in the United Kingdom and 16 other countries in Europe. These include non-EU countries. Switzerland, Norway and Russia, EU candidates Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, and the 10 states that joined the EU on May 1, 2004. Hong Kong's representative to the International Maritime Organisation is also based in the London office.
The offices in Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto are responsible for bilateral economic and trade relations in their host countries. The Sydney office is also responsible for promoting Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in New Zealand. The Tokyo office is also responsible for promoting Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in the Republic of Korea. The Singapore office is responsible for Hong Kong's commercial relations with the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It also serves as a direct point of contact with the Secretariats of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), which are located in Singapore.
The Washington office focuses on monitoring and liaising with the US Administration, Congress and think tanks on legislation and government policies that may have implications for Hong Kong's trade with the United States. The New York. office and the San Francisco office are responsible for promoting economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and individual US states and also seek to attract direct investment into Hong Kong.
The Guangdong office is located in Guangzhou. Its main duties are to promote trade and economic relationships between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province, provide better support services for Hong Kong businesses operating in Guangdong, especially the Pearl River Delta, and provide free advisory service and assistance to