ENG-1995 — Page 140

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Russia, Eastern Europe and Central and South America. Special emphasis was placed on identifying new business opportunities for Hong Kong companies, and promoting Hong Kong as a reliable source of world class, competitively-priced products. The newly established TDC offices in these markets serve manufacturers and traders well by providing much-needed local market knowledge and business contacts.

The established markets of North America and Europe were nevertheless not ignored. In helping Hong Kong companies to meet the challenge of increasing competition in these established markets, the TDC continued to help expand and upgrade the presence of Hong Kong companies at the world's largest trade fairs. Through business seminars and the expansion of high-level contacts, the TDC placed strong emphasis on fostering a more favourable environment for Hong Kong's trade.

The extension to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre entrusted to the TDC will greatly enhance Hong Kong's position as Asia's leading trade fair capital. Under construction on reclaimed land in North Wan Chai and scheduled for completion in mid-1997, the new extension will more than double the capacity of the current centre. Apart from being an architectural landmark for Hong Kong, the extension will provide first-class venues for large-scale exhibition activities, making it possible for a significant expansion in the number and scale of world-class events to be held in Hong Kong.

To ensure the TDC's trade and information services match Hong Kong's position as Asia's business hub, the council placed strong emphasis on upgrading its information resources and services, and making it easier for traders to access the services. The year saw the opening of a new Electronic Data Centre in the TDC Business Library, and the use of cutting-edge computer technologies to equip the TDC Fashion and Design Library. A TDC page was launched on the Internet during the year, providing the council's 35 million users world-wide with easy access to handy information on TDC services and on the ways of doing business in Hong Kong.

The Trade Enquiry Service operated by the council matches thousands of com- panies across the world with Hong Kong buyers and suppliers. The service is particularly useful to Hong Kong companies which lack the resources to build their own networks of overseas buyers. In 1994–95, the TDC handled some 350 000 trade enquiries and significantly expanded the size of its databank, which now has information on more than 66 000 Hong Kong companies, 303 000 overseas companies and 145 000 mainland business contacts.

Backed by nearly 30 years' experience, and as a pioneer of trade publishing in Hong Kong, the TDC crossed another frontier in early 1995. It entered the era of multi- media publishing by producing the world's first interactive CD-ROM for the toy industry, featuring more than 10 000 products from 651 Hong Kong companies. The council's 13 product magazines, with a combined global circulation of more than two million copies, contained more than 23 000 pages of information on Hong Kong products and suppliers, which helped to strengthen Hong Kong's position as Asia's major sourcing, distribution and trade servicing hub.

The TDC is at the forefront of efforts to project a modern, dynamic image of Hong Kong as a sourcing hub and to promote the territory's design capabilities. Through the TDC Design Gallery, the council continued to encourage and promote design excellence. The Gallery also has another function to help local manufacturers and

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