ENG-2001 — Page 439

COMMUNICATIONS, THE MEDIA AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

luncheon seminar organised by Stanford University and at a luncheon organised by the Pacific Council on International Policy. The Director-General of Trade and Industry, Mr Joshua Law, visited Washington DC in February for meetings with members of Congress and officials from the office of the U.S. Trade Representative. In June, the Secretary for Health and Welfare, Dr E K Yeoh, led a Hong Kong delegation to attend a conference on 'Health Care, East and West, Moving into the 21st Century' in Boston, organised by the Chinese Medical Association and Harvard University. The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Mike Rowse, visited New York and Boston in October, meeting executives from various corporations and the media.

Besides hosting a reception in May to introduce the new Brand Hong Kong to congressional staff members and the business and media communities, the Washington ETO staged a number of promotional events. In April, it co-sponsored a classical musical performance highlighting Hong Kong's talented musicians at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts. During the summer, the office and the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Gallery of Art presented the sixth annual Made In Hong Kong film festival that showcased the diverse talents of Hong Kong film-makers.

As part of the San Francisco HKETO's ongoing proactive strategy in reaching out to prospective investors contemplating overseas expansion, the Director-General of Investment Promotion visited companies in southern California and the 'Silicon Valley' in July to promote Hong Kong as an investment destination.

On the technology front, the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Francis Ho, and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation's delegation visited the 'Silicon Valley' in June for the signing ceremony of the first three 'Silicon Valley' tenants for the Science Park.

The San Francisco HKETO organised a Hong Kong Neon film week in co- operation with the Film and Television Archive of the University of California at Los Angeles to promote Hong Kong cinema and the film industry. Eight films were featured, and well received by the audiences.

In Canada, the Toronto HKETO held receptions in Toronto and Vancouver in June to promote Brand Hong Kong. The Secretary of State (Asia Pacific), Mr Rey Pagtakhan, and the Ontario Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, Mr Jim Flaherty, were invited to officiate at the reception in Toronto. Officiating at the reception in Vancouver was the Minister of State for Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr Greg Halsey-Brandt, on behalf of the newly elected Liberal provincial government. Activities to promote the new visual identity were well received. These included exhibitions, game stalls and a Brand Hong Kong face-painting kiosk at the Toronto international dragon boat festival, and panels at the Chinese Cultural and Community Centre in Winnipeg. Plans were in hand to promote the brand in other Canadian cities such as Calgary and Montreal and to sustain the impact in Toronto and Vancouver through various activities.

To mark the 10th anniversary of the ETO, a two-week Hong Kong Arts Festival was presented in Toronto. It comprised Living in Hong Kong Past and Present, a photographic exhibition depicting life in Hong Kong over the past 50 years; a Hong Kong Spotlight presentation of four films in the Reel Asian International Film

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