ENG-2007 — Page 167

Commerce and Industry 123

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 its global network of 40 offices, the TDC helps its customers, mainly local SMEs, develop marketing opportunities, trade contacts, market knowledge and competitive skills. One of its primary goals is to project and uphold Hong Kong as the international trade platform in Asia.

The TDC has helped position Hong Kong as the exhibition and convention centre of Asia. It organised more than 30 exhibitions during the year, seven of which represented the biggest international trade fairs in the region. These events attracted more than 27 000 exhibitors and 620 000 buyers.

The TDC continued to seek opportunities, particularly for SMEs, on the Mainland and in both established and emerging overseas markets. On the Mainland, the focus was on promoting Hong Kong as a professional, creative and financial services platform, a logistics hub, a partner for Mainland businesses seeking global opportunities and a prime supplier of fashionable and lifestyle products. In mature markets, the TDC stepped up efforts to differentiate Hong Kong merchandise by highlighting reliable quality, stylish designs and adherence to stringent green and safety standards. Targeting emerging markets, TDC's role focused primarily on pathfinding and image-building to identify business opportunities for Hong Kong's SMEs.

In 2007, the TDC maintained a global databank of more than 660 000 business contacts, facilitating worldwide users in locating business partners. It also published various trade magazines, research reports and practical guidebooks. Its online business newspaper Hong Kong Trader was sent regularly to more than 250 000 senior corporate executives and decision-makers. The online publication CEO Express, targeting Mainland senior management, also helped strengthen TDC's promotion of Hong Kong.

The TDC serviced six high-level bilateral business committees to help foster stronger economic ties between Hong Kong, the US, the European Union, Japan, the United Kingdom, France and Korea. To facilitate partnerships between Hong Kong and overseas SMEs, the TDC maintained close liaison with the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations Worldwide, which provided more than 11 000 SMEs around the world with links to Hong Kong.

To achieve its goals, the TDC organises international exhibitions, seminars and workshops, sector-specific networking events as well as outreach programmes. It also provides information support and personalised business advisory services to the trade. In 2007, the TDC organised approximately 650 promotional events in and outside. Hong Kong. In addition to its pathfinding efforts, TDC's website, tdctrade.com, serves as a global trading platform for Hong Kong SMEs to facilitate business opportunities. The website offers insightful market information, multi-media broadcast content and