Joint Commission's Trade Working Group meets in Hong Kong
(Sunday, March 26, 2000 )

The Trade Working Group (TWG) set up under the Mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (Joint Commission) will hold its second meeting on March 28 and 29 in Hong Kong. This is the first time that the TWG meets in Hong Kong.

The Director-General of Trade, Mr Joshua Law, as co-convenor for the HKSAR side, will lead the HKSAR delegation at the meeting. The co-convenor on the Mainland side is Mr Wang Hui, Director-General of the Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation(MOFTEC).

The meeting on March 28 and 29 will be held at the Trade Department. A press briefing will be held on March 29 after the completion of the meeting.

The Joint Commission was established and held its first meeting in Beijing in November last year. It serves as a high-level channel for exchange and liaison between the economic and trade authorities of the two sides. Its mission is to facilitate communication and discussion between these authorities with a view to further co-operation and mutual development.

The Joint Commission operates in accordance with the "One country, Two systems" principle, having regard to the status of the HKSAR as a separate customs territory enshrined in the Basic Law.

Four working groups have been established under the Joint Commission. They are the Trade Working Group, the Investment Working Group, the Contract Works and Labour Management Working Group, and the Technology Trade and Treaty Law Working Group.

The Trade Working Group aims to alert the trade and reflect their views on Mainland's economic and trade policies and measures which may have an impact on the economic activities of Hong Kong traders doing business on the Mainland.

In addition, the Trade Working Group provides opportunities for Hong Kong to introduce our trade policy, trade control system and measures to the trade authorities of the Mainland. It also provides a channel for exchanging views on trade issues of interest to both sides. The TWG first met in Beijing in November last year and both sides agreed to hold the second meeting in the first quarter of 2000.