ENG-2008 — Page 420

344 Communications, the Media and Information Technology

delegation of Hong Kong business leaders to Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning in July; visited Shanghai in May, Chengdu in June, and attended the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan and the Third Expo Central China in Hubei in April as well as the Guangdong/Hong Kong Co-operation meeting in Guangzhou in August.

The Mainland Offices organised seminars, research as well as visits to different parts of the Mainland for Hong Kong business delegations and organisations. The Investment Promotion Divisions of the Mainland Offices liaised closely with Mainland enterprises intending to invest in Hong Kong, helping them to go through the necessary procedures.

The Mainland Offices made good use of the Beijing Olympics to publicise Hong Kong widely as a co-host of the Beijing 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events. Exhibitions were held during 23 major activities, including trade fairs, expos, and other events in various Mainland cities. The Beijing Office also worked with the People's Daily Online to promote Hong Kong on the internet.

The Shanghai ETO continued to maintain close contact with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Co-ordination (Expo Bureau) to keep up to date with developments concerning the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China (Shanghai World Expo) in which Hong Kong will take part. The Shanghai ETO and the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau assisted the Expo Bureau in organising an 'Expo 2010 Shanghai China Hong Kong Promotion Week' in Hong Kong in

October.

The Chengdu ETO, assisted by the Immigration Divisions of Beijing Office and Guangdong ETO, was heavily involved in assisting Hong Kong people in distress. following the earthquakes in the Sichuan Province in May. They secured medical care for the injured and arranged for family members to visit from Hong Kong, helped locate missing people and received professional teams from Hong Kong to engage in search and rescue work.

Between June and December, the Chengdu ETO helped arrange visits to the stricken areas by the Chief Executive, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Legislative Council members and other organisations. The ETO also assisted in liaising between the HKSAR Government and the relevant Sichuan authorities concerning HKSAR's implementation of reconstruction projects in the province.

Government Home Pages on the Internet

Among other measures for ensuring openness, transparency and accountability, the Government uses the internet to disseminate information on its policies, services and activities and to communicate with the public. All bureaux and departments produce their home pages in Chinese and English. Thematic home pages are also produced for special events and topics. These home pages can be accessed through the GovHK at www.gov.hk.

The GovHK also provides 24-hour news updates, consultation papers and topical information to enable the public to keep track of local developments and important announcements. It is also a portal to a wide range of electronic services

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