CE meets with Director-General of WTO, exchanging views on issues of mutual interest

The Chief Executive, Mr. John Lee, today (Dec. 5) met with the visiting Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to exchange views on issues of mutual interest. The Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr. Bernard Chan, and the Director-General of Trade and Industry, Mr. Aaron Liu, also attended the meeting.

Mr. Lee welcomed Dr Okonjo-Iweala's visit to Hong Kong. He said that Hong Kong, China is a founding member of the WTO and remains firmly committed to the rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.

Mr. Lee said that he is encouraged by the commendation by WTO members during the Trade Policy Review meeting in December last year, which recognized Hong Kong, China's commitment to promoting global trade liberalization and the city's measures to enhance business facilitation, as well as the city's continuous efforts to reinforce its role as an international investment and trading hub.

Noting that Hong Kong has been actively seeking early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and signed a Free Trade Agreement with Peru last month, Mr. Lee said that these moves will sustain and reinforce Hong Kong's distinctive advantages as a global city and the important role it plays in offering high value-added supply chain management services for international trade. He also said that the multilateral trading system remains at the core of Hong Kong's trade policy, and that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to expand the city's global economic and trade networks through various means including forging free trade agreements.

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