ENG-2015 — Page 336

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The Media, Communications and Information Technology

July that highlighted Asia's world city while promoting admission schemes for professionals and entrepreneurs.

North Asia

In 2015, the Tokyo ETO continued to promote closer economic and trade ties as well as cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and Japan and South Korea.

The Tokyo office presented or supported a number of arts and cultural events in Japan and Korea, including a Hong Kong Night reception in the Busan International Film Festival, a Special Focus on Hong Kong in the Osaka Asian Film Festival, the Yokohama Dragon Boat Race, Asian Youth Orchestra concerts in Japan, a performance by the City Contemporary Dance Company in Niigata and the Hong Kong Cup Student Ambassadors English Programme for university students in Japan.

Visits by government officials were also arranged, including the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development's trip to Japan to promote trade and tourism; and visits to Korea by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Professor KC Chan, to strengthen financial co- operation and learn about the latest developments in financial technology, and by the Secretary for Transport and Housing to promote Hong Kong as a regional logistics hub.

Southeast Asia

In 2015, the Singapore ETO organised and supported 15 visits to member countries of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations by the Chief Executive, former chief executive Mr Tung Chee-hwa and seven principal officials, including the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Financial Secretary and the Secretary for Justice. The Chief Executive met Indonesia's President and Vice-President in September and announced the establishment of a new ETO in Jakarta.

Under a Hong Kong-Singapore Permanent Secretaries Exchange Programme, the Singapore office also supported a December trip to Singapore. The delegation of permanent secretaries, including those for the civil service, security, labour and welfare, commerce and economic development (communications and creative industries), and development (planning and lands), exchanged views with their Singaporean counterparts on issues of common interest.

Business seminars and other events continued to feature on the Singapore office's agenda. To promote arts and cultural exchanges, the ETO supported, among other activities, Hong Kong Movie Night in Bangkok; a Hong Kong section in the Singapore Chinese Film Festival 2015; and cultural performances by Hong Kong Arts Festival artists at the office's Chinese New Year celebrations marking the friendship between Hong Kong and Singapore.

The 2015 round of an Asean internship scheme, launched by the Singapore office to broaden the perspectives of Hong Kong tertiary students, helped about 200 students from the eight government-funded institutions take up internships in eight countries. The scheme is extended in 2016 to The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong Shue Yan University and Hang Seng Management College.

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