Trade Director to attend APEC SME Ministerial Meeting
Tuesday,June 20,1999

The Director-General of Trade, Mr Joshua Law, will lead a delegation to Brunei Darussalam tomorrow (June 21). He will represent the Secretary for Trade and Industry to attend the 7th Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation(APEC) Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises(SME) to be held in Bandar Seri Begawan on June 22 and 23.

The Meeting will provide an opportunity for ministers to exchange views and discuss ways on facilitating the development of SMEs.

Discussion at the meeting will cover four main areas: information and communication technology; human resources development; financing of SMEs; and strategic alliances between SMEs and large firms.

A joint ministerial statement will be issued after the ministerial meeting.

During the Ministerial Meeting, ministers will meet with the representatives of the APEC SME Business Forum, E-commerce Workshop and Women Leaders Network, which would be held in conjunction with the Ministerial Meeting, to exchange views on how to sustain SMEs growth.

Official members of the delegation include the Assistant Secretary for Trade and Industry, Mr Shiu Lik-king, and the Assistant Director-General of Industry, Mr Eugene Fung.

Two representatives from our business sector will attend the SME Business Forum. They are the Managing Director of ABC Data and Telecom Limited, Mr Anthony Au, and the Director of Innomind International Limited, Mr Albert Ng.

APEC comprises 21 member economies, namely Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; the People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; the Republic of the Philippines; Russia; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; the United States of America and Vietnam.