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Commerce and Industry
Overseas Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices
There are 12 overseas Hong Kong ETOs, located in Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Jakarta, London, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto and Washington. The Geneva office mainly represents 'Hong Kong, China' as a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and as a participant to the Trade Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) headquartered in Paris. The other ETOS seek to promote Hong Kong's economic and trade interests by enhancing understanding of Hong Kong among opinion- formers; closely monitoring developments that might affect Hong Kong's economic and trade interests; and liaising closely with businesses, politicians, government bodies, think tanks and the news media. They organise events regularly to promote Hong Kong's image, and those with Investment Promotion Units also offer support to individual enterprises interested in setting up or expanding their presence in Hong Kong.
The Brussels ETO represents Hong Kong's overall economic and trade interests in Europe, particularly in dealings with the European Union, including the European Commission and European Parliament. It also promotes Hong Kong's bilateral relations with 15 European countries. The London ETO represents Hong Kong's interests and promotes bilateral relations in nine countries. Hong Kong's representative to the International Maritime Organisation is based in the London office. The Berlin ETO fosters closer economic and trade ties between Hong Kong and eight countries in central and eastern Europe.
The Washington ETO represents Hong Kong's interests in the US. It monitors federal government policies and legislation that may have implications on Hong Kong's economic and trade relationships with the US. The New York and San Francisco ETOS promote Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in 31 eastern states and 19 western states of the US respectively.
The offices in Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto are responsible for bilateral economic and trade relations in their host countries. In addition, the Sydney ETO covers New Zealand and the Tokyo ETO covers South Korea. In order to tap into emerging markets among the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a new office was set up in Jakarta in 2016. The Jakarta ETO represents the HKSAR Government in matters between Hong Kong and ASEAN as a whole, and handles in particular matters between Hong Kong and Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines, while the Singapore ETO is responsible for strengthening economic ties between Hong Kong and Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Promotional activities organised by the Hong Kong ETOS are described in the 'Promoting Hong Kong Worldwide' section of Chapter 17 Media and Communications.
External Commercial Relations
Participation in World Trade Organisation
The rule-based multilateral trading system under the auspices of the WTO is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's external trade policy. Hong Kong is a founding member of the WTO and has continued its separate membership under the name 'Hong Kong, China', since the establishment of the HKSAR. It takes part actively in the multilateral and plurilateral trade negotiations with a view to seeking greater market access for its services and goods.
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