ENG-1997 — Page 404

312

COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA

and senior government officials of New South Wales and Victoria, business leaders and the media. He also delivered keynote addresses at major business functions.

Japan

In October, the Chief Executive visited Japan as a guest of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Keizo Obuchi. Besides Mr Obuchi, Mr Tung met the Prime Minister, Mr Ryutaro Hashimoto; the Minister of Finance, Mr Hiroshi Mitsuzuka; the Minister of International Trade and Industry, Mr Mitsuo Horiuchi, political leaders and leading Japanese businessmen.

Mr Obuchi hosted a dinner in honour of the Chief Executive and Mr Tung also delivered a speech at a luncheon in Tokyo jointly organised by the Tokyo HKETO, the HKTDC and the Japan/Hong Kong Society, and addressed a meeting of the Japan National Press Club.

In May, the Financial Secretary visited Tokyo where he met senior cabinet ministers, political leaders and leading Japanese businessmen and bankers, and signed the Japan/Hong Kong Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements.

Singapore

The Chief Executive paid a visit to Malaysia and Singapore in early September when he met Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, and Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Anwar Ibrahim, in Kuala Lumpur, and the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Goh Chok Tong, and Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Tony Tan.

Mr Tung and Mr Goh exchanged views on housing, education and information technology issues, and visited a school and flats built by the Housing Development Board. The Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic Wong, joined the visiting group to look at housing developments. In both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, Mr Tung addressed leading businessmen and professionals on Hong Kong after the transition. Other activities organised during the year included a one-day seminar held in Bangkok in June to explain to the Thai audience Hong Kong's post-handover arrangements, and another seminar in Manila in November to update the Philippines business community about Hong Kong.

ISD and the Handover

The international media showed intense interest in Hong Kong in the lead-up to, and during, the Handover. A world-class Press and Broadcast Centre (PBC) — the largest of its kind ever established in Hong Kong - was set up in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Phase I as part of the government's plan to help media coverage of the historic event.

The PBC was divided into two- a broadcast centre providing exclusive working booths for TV and radio broadcasters and sophisticated technical facilities for the host broadcast consortium led by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK); and a press centre providing the print media with exclusive work spaces and a large free seating area for some 600 journalists. All the necessary telecommunications equipment such as phones, faxes and data lines were provided.

The ISD team in the Handover Ceremony Co-ordination Office was responsible for setting up the 9000 square metre PBC, which the ISD then managed from the