ENG-2012 — Page 357

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Communications, the Media and Information Technology

three-film retrospective representing the range of cinema in Hong Kong during the past 15 years was included in the Hong Kong Cinema festival held in San Francisco which featured a total of nine Hong Kong movies. The San Francisco ETO sponsored the HKSAR 15th Anniversary Cup at the San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival.

A reception was hosted to welcome Hong Kong Ballet's debut performance in Aspen, Colorado, on their North America tour to celebrate the HKSAR's 15th anniversary.

In addition, the San Francisco ETO actively promoted wine business opportunities in Hong Kong through organising or participating in trade promotion events in California, Washington, Oregon and Idaho and meeting with wine trade associations.

North Asia

To reinforce the ties between Hong Kong and Japan on various fronts, the Tokyo ETO organised a series of events in 2012 under the theme of 'Think Partnership, Think Hong Kong, including a large-scale publicity and promotion campaign in Tokyo and Osaka in May, jointly organised with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, and attended by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Mr Gregory So. The campaign included an exhibition, a forum and workshops to promote exchanges and collaboration between the creative talents of Japan and Hong Kong and symposiums and a gala dinner to promote Hong Kong as the springboard for Japanese companies interested in developing their business globally.

Mr So visited Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in the Tohoku area of Japan, which was badly damaged by the 2011 tsunami and earthquake, to underline Hong Kong's commitment to assisting Japan's recovery from the disasters.

The Tokyo ETO also organised and supported other business, arts and cultural events in Japan. and Korea, including business seminars in various cities in Japan and Korea, a film festival in Osaka, the Yokohama Dragon Boat Race, the Asian Youth Orchestra concerts in Sendai and Tokyo, a reception at the Busan International Film Festival and an English speech contest for university students in Japan.

Visits by government officials to Japan and Korea were also arranged, including one by the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, to Tokyo in October to attend the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund.

Southeast Asia

In 2012, the Singapore ETO organised and supported visits by a number of senior officials to the region, including the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang; the then Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose Lee; the then Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing; the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So. During his visit to Malaysia, the Financial Secretary signed a Comprehensive Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation between Hong Kong and Malaysia.

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