ENG-2011 — Page 415

Communications, the Media and Information Technology 359

business and financial sectors, and spoke on Hong Kong's eminent role as China's premier offshore Renminbi settlement centre.

In the same month, the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, visited New York to attend meetings at the United Nations. He also visited the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to learn more about its operations and latest developments in the fight against communicable diseases.

During the year, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (New York ETO) hosted a reception to promote Hong Kong as a regional wine-trading hub. It also sponsored, or organised, events in New York and Chicago to promote Hong Kong films. The events included the New York Asian Film Festival at which director Tsui Hark was honoured for his life-time contribution to the movie world.

The office organised the Hong Kong Cup Chinese Speech Contest for the first time to foster greater understanding of Hong Kong among US university students. New York ETO also continued to feature the 'Brand Hong Kong' identity at dragon boat festivals in New York, Boston and Atlanta.

During the Hong Kong Logistics Development Council's visit to New York in September, New York ETO co-organised a seminar-cum-luncheon to highlight Hong Kong's latest developments as Asia's key logistics hub. More than 200 of the city's executives attended the event. At a financial forum organised by the HKSAR Government in New York in March, more than 200 senior financial-services executives were brought up to date on Hong Kong's development as China's global financial centre.

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (San Francisco ETO) celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2011. A reception was held in September to mark the occasion, which was attended by more than 200 business and trade leaders and government officials. The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, was the Guest of Honour. The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, and the Mayor of San Francisco, Mr Edwin Lee, sent congratulatory messages.

Ms Cheng and a five-member delegation from the Hong Kong Logistics Development Council were in Long Beach and San Francisco, California, at the time promoting Hong Kong as a premier logistics hub.

A seminar and two luncheons, entitled 'Hong Kong: Regional Logistics Hub the Asian Link in Your Global Supply Chain' were held. Both events attracted some 200 participants. The seminar and luncheons provided valuable information about Hong Kong's logistics industry and how the city could help firms seize business opportunities in the vast market of the mainland of China which many US companies are already tapping through Hong Kong. The delegation also met industry leaders and visited leading logistics companies in California.

In September, San Francisco ETO also received the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung, in San Francisco where he visited a one-stop job centre run by 'Self-Help for the Elderly' and the San Francisco Food Bank.