HK delegation to take part in Partnership Summit 2001

January 7, 2001

A Hong Kong delegation, led by Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting, Mrs Carrie Yau, has left Hong Kong for India to attend the Partnership Summit 2001 held in Hyderabad, India, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

The Hong Kong delegation comprised members from Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau, Education and Manpower Bureau, the Indian Chamber of Commerce of Hong Kong and private companies: Style Asia Ltd, Polmaco (HK) Ltd, Kavi International, China Light and Power, Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited, isteelAsia, and Paramount Embroidery Manufactory Ltd.

During the stay in India, from January 7 to 16, the delegation will visit the capital New Delhi and call on the Finance Minister, Minister for Information Technology, Minister for Communications and Minister for Commerce and Industry of India. They will also visit the hi-tech centres at Hyderabad and Bangalore to meet with state officials, including Mr Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Mr S M Krishna, Chief Minister of Karnataka. Mrs Yau will also visit some IT companies, IT training institutes and business organisations.

Mrs Yau will deliver a keynote address at the Summit on January 10 and brief the international audience on the latest development of the IT and telecommunications industries in Hong Kong and the business opportunities in the territory.

Apart from addressing the Partnership Summit Conference, Mrs Yau will also have bilateral meetings with other visiting Ministers, including Mrs Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, Belgium; Madame Lydie Polfer, Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Luxembourg; and Mr Stephen Byers, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Department of Trade and Industry, United Kingdom.

The visit follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on information technology and services co-operation between Hong Kong and India in February last year. Useful exchanges took place last year when key Ministers from India led delegations to visit Hong Kong.

The MOU has contemplated an extensive range of co-operative activities from commercial and industry exchanges to investment and technology partnerships, from education and learning exchanges to the sharing of policy and regulatory information.

- ENDS -