ENG-1988 — Page 109

INDUSTRY AND TRADE

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Council staff carried out an extensive trade promotion programme in 1988, organising more than 80 major international projects. In the United States, these included the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and the Summer Consumer Electronics Show in Chicago, the American Toy Fair in New York, the International Houseware Exposition in Chicago and the New York International Gift Fair.

In Europe, the council participated in the International Toy Fair in Nuremburg, the Frankfurt International Spring and Autumn Fairs, the Birmingham International Spring Fair and Domotechnica in Cologne, as well as the Swiss Industries Fair in Basle.

This year saw the opening of HKTDC offices in Taiwan, Vancouver and Miami.

A variety of Hong Kong business groups under the auspices of the council visited the United States, Europe, China, the Middle East and Japan to enhance old, or establish new, trade contacts. The council also received more than 200 inward missions from more than 30 countries, most notably from China, the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Sweden.

In Hong Kong, the council staged a Hong Kong Fashion Week, Hong Kong Inter- national Toys and Games Fair, Hong Kong Electronics Fair, the Hong Kong Jewellery Show, the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair, the Hong Kong International Fur Fair and the Hong Kong Gifts and Houseware Fair.

In the very successful store promotions, the HKTDC joined forces with Bloomingdale's in New York City and Sunrise in Taipei. In Japan, the council staged promotions at the Daimaru department store in Osaka and once again in the AIC chain of depart-

ment stores.

The council produces seven product magazines, a fashion magazine and a newspaper for general circulation and distribution at trade events around the world. They are: Hong Kong Enterprise, a monthly general products magazine; the annuals Hong Kong Toys, published each January to coincide with the Hong Kong International Toys and Games Fair, Hong Kong Jewellery Annual, Hong Kong Watches and Clocks, Hong Kong Household and Hong Kong Gifts and Premiums; a biannual, Hong Kong Electronics; Hong Kong Apparel, a prize-winning quarterly fashion magazine and the Hong Kong Trader, a bimonthly newspaper (sent airmail) giving news and views of the territory. A guidebook, Hong Kong For The Business Visitor, is published annually in seven languages (English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese).

The council's Overseas Associations Section administers the Hong Kong-United States Economic Co-operation Committee. The fourth plenary session met in New York City in September while in March the 11th plenary session of the Hong Kong-Japan/Japan-Hong Kong Business Co-operation Committee was held in Tokyo.

This section also monitors the activities of overseas associations in Sweden, Spain, Canada, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, Finland, Norway, Australia and New Zealand.

Construction work is proceeding on the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and commissioning began in November. Supporting facilities for the centre include two five-star hotels with a total of 1 500 rooms and two towers containing office space, a trade mart and service apartments. The government provided the 2.96 hectare site on the Wan Chai waterfront through a private treaty grant, free of premium. The portion of the development to be retained by the council will ultimately comprise around 73 000 square metres, and will include two 9 100 square-metre exhibition halls, a 2000 square-metre conference/convention hall, two auditoria with seating for 700 and 360, plus a variety of small function rooms, and two towers containing office space and service apartments.