ENG-2013 — Page 350

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The Media, Communications and Information Technology

In March, the Secretary for Education led a delegation to Toronto and met government officials, members of the Council of Ontario Universities, and university presidents.

In January, the Hong Kong Dance Company staged the North American premiere of 'Qingming Riverside' in Toronto, supported by the Home Affairs Bureau and the Department of Culture of Guangdong Province. The Toronto ETO also supported the international dragon boat race festivals held in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver.

In July, the Toronto International Film Festival included 30 classic Hong Kong movies in 'A Century of Chinese Cinema, a major retrospective of films from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Hong Kong film talents and professionals attending the event included Mr Jackie Chan, Mr Chris Doyle, Ms Nansun Shi and Mr Johnnie To. In November, two Hong Kong films were featured in the 2013 Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.

North Asia

In 2013, the 25th anniversary of its establishment, the Tokyo ETO conducted in Fukuoka the largest ever Hong Kong promotion campaign in Kyushu in co-operation with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, InvestHK and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. The campaign included the Focus on Asia International Film Festival Fukuoka 2013 in September, with a special focus on Hong Kong cinema, and the 'Think Global, Think Hong Kong' Symposium in October aimed at promoting Hong Kong as an ideal partner for Japanese companies looking to develop their business in the global market.

The Tokyo ETO presented or supported a number of business seminars, receptions, and arts and cultural events in Japan and Korea, including the Special Focus on Hong Kong in the Osaka Asian Film Festival, the Yokohama Dragon Boat Race, two art exhibitions in Seoul, concerts by the Asian Youth Orchestra in Osaka, Kamakura and Tokyo, and the Hong Kong Cup English Speech Contest for university students in Japan.

Visits to Japan and Korea by government officials were also arranged, including by the Secretary for Justice, the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, the Secretary for Education, and the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury to Korea, and by the Secretary for Transport and Housing to Japan.

Southeast Asia

In 2013, the Singapore ETO organised and supported 15 visits by 10 senior officials to the region: the Chief Executive; the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Financial Secretary; the Secretary for Justice; the Secretary for Transport and Housing; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development; the Secretary for Education; the Secretary for Food and Health; the Secretary for the Environment; and the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan Mo-po.

The Singapore ETO continued to promote cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and ASEAN. It organised the first ever Hong Kong Film Week in Vietnam in March, sponsored the Asian Youth Orchestra's concert tour in Asia in August, and in October sponsored a retrospective organised by the National Museum of Singapore of Cantonese movies, starring Hong Kong

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