ENG-2007 — Page 51

Constitution and Administration | 15

Moreover, the Chief Executive led four business delegations to Guangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Jiangxi provinces in the PPRD region between June 2006 and January 2007 to facilitate the private sector in exploring cooperation and investment opportunities. The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development also led trade delegations to the PPRD region in 2007.

The Hong Kong/Shanghai Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference was established in October 2003 by the HKSAR Government and the Shanghai Municipal Government to foster closer economic and trade ties. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in eight areas - airport management; port and logistics; the World Expo 2010 Shanghai China; tourism, convention and exhibition industry; investment and trade; professional exchanges; financial services; and education, health and sports.

The Second Plenary Session of the Hong Kong/Beijing Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference was held in November 2006. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the four areas of the 2008 Olympic Games, further implementation of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), financial services, as well as innovation technology and creative and cultural industries. Opportunity for future cooperation in city management was also explored.

HKSAR's Offices in the Mainland

The HKSAR Government has set up four offices in the Mainland, namely the Beijing Office and the three Economic and Trade Offices (ETOs) in Guangdong, Shanghai and Chengdu1. The main responsibilities of these offices are to enhance liaison and communication between the HKSAR Government and the CPG and other Mainland authorities; strengthen HKSAR's economic and trade liaison with the different regions in the Mainland; and promote Hong Kong and encourage inward investment to Hong Kong from enterprises and corporations in the Mainland. The Beijing Office and Guangdong ETO have respectively set up an Immigration Division. They help provide practical assistance to Hong Kong residents in distress in the Mainland and handle immigration-related matters.

In 2007, the Mainland Offices continued to maintain close contact with the CPG and other Mainland authorities; and to promote official exchanges between the Government of the HKSAR and the Mainland authorities. They arranged itinerary and provided logistical support to HKSAR Government delegations visiting the Mainland, as well as arranged visits by Mainland officials to the HKSAR. Major visits included the Chief Executive's three visits to Beijing (April, June, November 2007) to Jiangxi province (January 2007), as well as his attendance at the Expo Central China 2007 in Henan and meetings with the governors of the six provinces in central China (April 2007).

1 The Beijing Office covers Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Tibet. The Guangdong ETO covers Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi and Hainan. The Shanghai ETO covers Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Hubei. The Chengdu ETO covers Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Shaanxi and Chongqing.

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