ENG-1994 — Page 144

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

(WTO) in 1995. Hong Kong will become an original member of the WTO, and the Geneva Office will participate in all its regular activities, including all multilateral trade negotiations. The Geneva Office also represents Hong Kong as an observer on the Trade Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and is responsible for commercial relations with Switzerland.

The Brussels Office represents Hong Kong's economic and trade interests in dealings with the European Commission and the member states of the European Union (other than the United Kingdom), as well as other European countries (apart from Switzerland). It is also responsible for encouraging inward investment from Europe (other than the United Kingdom and the Nordic countries).

The London Office is responsible for Hong Kong's commercial relations with the United Kingdom, and inward industrial investment promotion activities in Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. It is also responsible for monitoring parliamentary activities in the United Kingdom that are of interest to Hong Kong.

The Toronto and Tokyo offices have a similar role, covering Hong Kong's interests across Canada and Japan, respectively.

There are three offices in the United States: in Washington, New York and San Francisco. In recognition of the importance of the United States-Hong Kong relationship to the territory's economic and trade interests, the government decided to upgrade its represen- tation there by appointing a Commissioner in October 1993 to supervise and co-ordinate the work of the three offices.

Participation in International Organisations

As an integral part of the Asia-Pacific economy and an important regional services centre, Hong Kong has a role to play, and a contribution to make, in regional economic co- operation.

The territory's economic links with the region continued to expand. In 1993, some 80 per cent of Hong Kong's total external trade was conducted with the other 16 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC).

During the year, Hong Kong participated actively in the work of the APEC. The Secretary for the Treasury led the Hong Kong delegation to attend the APEC Finance Ministers Meeting on March 18 and 19 in Honolulu. Another delegation, led by the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, attended the APEC Environment Ministers Meeting in Vancouver from March 23 to 25. The Secretary for Trade and Industry led the Hong Kong delegation at the APEC Trade Ministers Meeting on October 6 in Jakarta; the APEC Small and Medium Enterprise Ministerial Meeting on October 22 and 23 in Osaka; and the APEC Ministerial Meeting on November 11 and 12 in Jakarta. The Financial Secretary represented Hong Kong at the Second APEC Economic Leaders Meeting held on November 15 in Bogor, Indonesia. The Declaration of Common Resolve issued at the end of the meeting set, among other things, a goal of free trade in the region, to be achieved by the year 2020.

The Hong Kong Committee of the Pacific Economic Co-operation Council (PECC), set up in March 1990 to advise on the territory's participation in, and to co-ordinate the territory's input to, the PECC process, continued to participate actively in the council's

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