346 Communications, the Media and Information Technology
To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Singapore ETO co-hosted with the Hong Kong Tourism Board receptions in Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Manila.
Several senior Hong Kong SAR Government officials flew to Singapore for the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) meetings and other international conferences hosted by the country in 2009. The Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, and the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, visited Singapore in June and July respectively to address international forums organised by the Singapore Government. The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mrs Rita Lau, was in Singapore in July to attend the APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade. At a luncheon co-organised by the Singapore ETO and the Hong Kong-Singapore Business Association (HSBA), she spoke about new emerging business opportunities in Hong Kong.
In November, the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, and the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, attended respectively the APEC Economic Leaders' Summit and ministerial meetings held in Singapore. The Chief Executive also spoke at the HSBA's 15th Anniversary Gala Dinner and at a public lecture, held by the Singapore Management University, on Hong Kong's response to the global financial crisis. Hong Kong SAR Government officials also visited Vietnam and Malaysia.
In February, the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, led a business delegation to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to promote the maritime and related services offered by Hong Kong. In August, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Professor K C Chan, visited Kuala Lumpur where he addressed the Special Ministerial Session of the World Capital Markets Symposium, organised by Malaysia's Securities Commission. In November, the Secretary for Justice, Mr Wong Yan Lung, spoke at the Sixth ASEAN-China Prosecutors General Conference in Hanoi.
He also called on the country's Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General and informed members of the legal profession about Hong Kong's growing importance as an international dispute resolution centre.
The Singapore ETO co-organised two business seminars with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry in August to inform the Vietnamese business community about the benefits of the Comprehensive Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation between Hong Kong and Vietnam which goes into effect in early 2010.
The Singapore ETO also co-organised a seminar with the Thai-Hong Kong Trade Association in Bangkok in October to brief Thai businessmen about the opportunities they can tap from Hong Kong's Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with the mainland of China. The audience was also informed about the pilot scheme on renminbi trade settlement, launched by the Mainland government.
On the cultural front, the Singapore ETO organised the Hong Kong Film Festival for the first time in Malaysia in early March, featuring eight productions by Hong
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