ENG-2002 — Page 429

COMMUNICATIONS, THE MEDIA AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

A number of other officials travelled to Canada during the year, including the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Mr Stephen Lam, who visited Toronto and Ottawa in August. In September, the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology led a Hong Kong information technology delegation to attend the 'Softworld 2002', held on Prince Edward Island, and highlighted the HKSAR's advances in information technology and telecommunications.

The Toronto HKETO continued to promote Brand Hong Kong through varied programmes in major cities, including Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. Apart from seminars to explore business cooperation, the programmes included cultural elements such as cinema, opera, and a photographic record of Hong Kong's infrastructure achievements and its plans for the next decade. The Toronto programme included a reception and a special dragon boat race to mark the HKSAR's 5th Anniversary.

For the first time since its establishment in 1991, the Toronto HKETO organised a Hong Kong-Canada Trade Mission, in November. The trade mission, which started its programme with a full-day conference in Hong Kong, comprised 53 delegates from 40 Canadian companies in the information and communications technology, biotech, environmental services and other sectors. The delegates had the opportunity to explore business cooperation between Canada and Hong Kong and, through Hong Kong, with China as a whole. There was a comprehensive programme of seminars, workshops, briefings, networking opportunities with prospective business partners in Hong Kong and a short visit to southern China.

Europe

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, made an official visit to strengthen ties between Hong Kong and Europe in May, in a nine-day tour covering London in the United Kingdom, Brussels in Belgium, Milan and Rome in Italy and Vienna in Austria. In meetings with political and business leaders, academics and economists as well as representatives from the performing arts and education sectors, Mr Tsang explained the purpose of the new Accountability System for Principal Officials and how Hong Kong is positioning itself to make the most of the opportunities arising from China's accession to the WTO, as well as efforts to maximise synergies with the Pearl River Delta.

After a meeting with the President of the European Commission, Mr Romano Prodi, in Brussels, Mr Tsang and Mr Prodi announced that Hong Kong and the European Union had agreed to build a closer partnership, working towards a more structured dialogue in a wide range of areas of mutual interest. During a day of high- level talks, Mr Tsang met the Belgian Minister of Finance, Mr Didier Reynders, the European Commissioner for Trade, Mr Pascal Lamy, the European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, Mr Antonio Vitorino, and Belgian and European parliamentarians. He attended a dinner prior to the fourth plenary meeting of the Hong Kong-European Union Business Cooperation Committee. Mr Tsang also gave a boost to student exchanges, meeting students and staff members of the College of Europe in Bruges, where the first Hong Kong student would begin an intensive post- degree course in the autumn, and meeting the college President, Mr Jean-Luc Dehaene, who is also the Vice-Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe. In Rome, Mr Tsang witnessed the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding between Hong Kong and Italy, one on Information Technology Cooperation, and one

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