ENG-2001 — Page 441

COMMUNICATIONS, THE MEDIA AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Moving on to France, Mr Tsang had meetings in Paris with President Jacques Chirac and the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry, Mr Laurent Fabius. While in the capital he took formal delivery of the Government's new helicopter fleet, which will comprise eight French-made machines. Mr Tsang then proceeded to Brussels where he met the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Laurette Onkelinx, the European Commission Vice-President, Mr Neil Kinnock, and attended the initialling ceremony of a bilateral agreement between Hong Kong and the European Union on the readmission of persons (this agreement followed a EU decision in March to grant visa-free access to HKSAR passport holders). Mr Tsang's next stop was Luxembourg, at the invitation of the Luxembourg Government. He met the Prime Minister, Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mrs Lydie Polfer.

The Financial Secretary, Mr Antony Leung, made his first official visit to London, Berlin, Frankfurt and Brussels at the end of June. In London, he called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Gordon Brown, and had meetings with the Governor of the Bank of England, the Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, Mr Howard Davies, and other leading figures in the business and finance communities. Mr Leung also attended a luncheon hosted by the Lord Mayor of London, Sir David Howard, and delivered a keynote speech at the three-yearly Dragon Boat Dinner hosted by the Hong Kong Association. As part of the campaign to position Hong Kong as Asia's world city, Mr Leung officiated at the launching of Brand Hong Kong at a reception attended by more than 600 leading businessmen, politicians, senior government officials as well as representatives from the financial services, cultural, diplomatic and media sectors in London.

In Frankfurt, Mr Leung met the President of the European Central Bank, Mr Wim Duisenberg, and in Berlin he met the German State Secretary for Finance, Mr Caio Koch-Weser, as well as the Parliamentary State Secretary for Economics and Technology, Mr Siegmar Mosdorf. In Brussels, Mr Leung had talks with the Belgian Minister of Finance, Mr Didier Reynders, and met the European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, Mr Pedro Solbes, and the Commissioner for Competition, Mr Mario Monti. Mr Leung also officiated at the opening of the new Hong Kong ETO premises in Brussels.

The Secretary for Justice, Ms Elsie Leung, visited the United Kingdom in March to attend the World Women Lawyers Conference, organised by the International Bar Association, and spoke at a discussion session on 'Women's Rights as Human Rights'. She also attended a round-table discussion luncheon hosted by the London HKETO with think tank members, academics and senior businessmen and addressed the Oxford University Asia Pacific Society on the continuity of Hong Kong's legal system.

The Secretary for Security visited Paris to make the opening address on September 5 at the Plenary Meeting of the Financial Action Task Force Against Money Laundering, of which Hong Kong assumed the Presidency in July (the Commissioner for Narcotics, Mrs Clarie Lo, took the chair as President). The Commissioner of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Mr Alan Lai, visited Berlin in October and met the Vice President of the German Bundestag, Dr Hermann Otto Solms, and the Parliamentary Secretary of State for the Interior, Mrs Brigitte Zypries.

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