ENG-2003 — Page 167

COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

submission and processing of certain official trade-related documents. Such services are known as the Government Electronic Trading Services (GETS) and are available for seven government-related trade documents: restrained textiles export licence, import and export declaration, production notification, certificate of origin, dutiable commodities permit, cargo manifest (excluding road mode of transport), and notification under the Textiles Trader Registration Scheme.

Hong Kong Awards for Industry/Services

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To promote and honour the pursuit of excellence by companies in both the manufacturing and services sectors, the Trade and Industry Department collaboration with the Hong Kong Productivity Council, major trade and industrial associations and industry support bodies organises the annual Hong Kong Awards for Industry and the Hong Kong Awards for Services. The former promotes industrial excellence in product design, productivity, quality, environmental performance, export marketing and technological achievement, while the latter promotes services excellence in innovation, productivity, customer service, tourism services and export marketing.

Trade and Industrial Support Organisations

Hong Kong Trade Development Council

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC), a statutory body established in 1966, is responsible for promoting and expanding Hong Kong's external trade in goods and services. With a global network of more than 40 offices in major business centres around the world, the TDC helps its customers, mainly local SMEs, develop marketing opportunities, trade contacts, market knowledge and competitive skills. It also seeks to project and uphold a positive image of Hong Kong as the international trade platform in Asia. To this end, it organised more than 350 promotional events in and outside Hong Kong in 2003.

Among its promotional events in 2003, the TDC organised 18 international trade. fairs (seven of which were the biggest in the region), three public exhibitions and two special fairs for SMEs and CEPA. These events attracted more than 15 500 exhibitors and over 1.2 million visitors, including about 150 000 from overseas. The TDC also organised participation by Hong Kong companies in major trade events around the world.

In its product and services promotions, the TDC placed particular emphasis on the Mainland. Apart from treating the Mainland as a fast growing market, the TDC also promoted Hong Kong as a professional services centre, trade services platform and partner for Mainland businesses seeking global opportunities as well as for overseas firms targeting the Mainland market. It also emphasised the combined strengths of Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta area, which overseas manufacturers can tap into for locating their production facilities in the Mainland.

The TDC sought to enhance and promote the competitive advantages of Hong Kong's SMEs through a wide range of business matching and information support services, as well as more than 140 business training courses and workshops for SMEs in 2003. Its internet trade portal provided a cyber marketplace for comprehensive trade information, e-commerce facilities and other value-added services, most of which were available free of charge. The portal was significantly enhanced with the launch of a multimedia broadcast platform to provide timely market information in

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