Press Release - March 5, 2004
Hong Kong�s Director General of Investment Promotion, Mr. Mike Rowse, will visit Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver from March 8 to 10, to promote new opportunities under the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) which was signed between Hong Kong and Mainland China last June and formally came into effect in January this year.

Mr. Rowse will be in Montreal on March 8 to address a conference cocktail at the Intercontinental Hotel. The conference cocktail is organized by the World Trade Centre, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association.

The next leg of his three-city visit will take him to Toronto on March 9 when he will be the key-note speaker at a business luncheon at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, organized by the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association, Canadian Association of Imports and Exporters, the Toronto Board of Trade in association with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Invest Hong Kong.

Mr. Rowse will visit Vancouver on March 10 when he will attend a business seminar and luncheon organized by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association, Vancouver Section, and co-organised by the Business Council of British Columbia, Industry Canada, Gateway to Asia and Vancouver Board of Trade.

During his visit Mr. Rowse will also visit Canadian companies interested in doing business with Hong Kong and through Hong Kong with China.

Note to Editors:

You are cordially invited to send a representative to cover the three seminar/luncheons in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Names of the speakers and other details are as follows:-

Montreal�s Conference Cocktail:

Date: March 8 (Monday)

Time: 5 p.m. � 7 p.m.

Venue:
Intercontinental Hotel, Salon Saint-Laurent, 360 St. Antoine Street West, Montreal

Speakers:
Mr. Mike Rowse, Director-General of Investment Promotion, Hong Kong
Mr. Bassanio So, Director, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office
Mr. Richard Watson, Vice President, ICS Trust (Asia) Ltd., Hong Kong
Mr. Andrew Yui, Director, Canada, Hong Kong Trade Development Council

Theme:
Free Trade Agreement between Hong Kong and China:
New Opportunities for Quebec companies

Toronto Business Luncheon/Seminar:

Date: March 9 (Tuesday)

Time:
Luncheon: 12:00 noon � 1:30 p.m.
Seminar: 2:15 p.m. � 4:15 p.m.

Venue:
Room 104 ABC (seminar in 104D)
Metro Toronto Convention Centre � North Building, 255 Front Street West, Toronto

Speakers:
Luncheon:
Mr. Mike Rowse, Director-General of Investment Promotion, Hong Kong

Seminar:
Mr. Bassanio So, Director, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office
Mr. Jon Johnson, Partner, Goodmans LLP
Ms. Elizabeth L. Thompson, Founder & President, ICS Trust (Asia) Ltd., Hong Kong
Mr. Robert Armstrong, President & CEO, Import Export Canada
Mr. Andrew Yui, Director, Canada, Hong Kong Trade Development Council

Theme:

Luncheon:
Free Trade Agreement Between Hong Kong and China:
New Opportunities for Canadian Companies

Seminar:
CEPA � Hong Kong Advantages � Opportunities for Canadian Companies

Vancouver Seminar/Luncheon:

Date: March 10 (Wednesday)
Time:

Seminar: 9:00 a.m. � 11:45 a.m.
Luncheon: 12:00 noon � 1:30 p.m.

Venue:
The Sutton Place Hotel, Versailles Ballroom, 2nd Floor, 845 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Speakers:

Seminar:
1st Session: CEPA Opportunities

Mr. Bassanio So, Director, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office
Mr. Andrew Yui, Director, Canada, Hong Kong Trade Development Council
Mr. Jon Johnson, Partner, Goodmans LLP

2nd Session: Doing Business in China

Mr. Alfred Lau, Partner, KPMG LLP
Mr. Gordon Boal, President GAML Foundation

Luncheon:
Mr. Mike Rowse, Director-General of Investment Promotion, Hong Kong

Theme:
Free Trade Agreement Between Hong Kong and China:
New Opportunities for Canadian Companies

For further information, please contact John Tam, Chief Information Officer at (416) 924-5544, email [email protected] or
Elison Chu, Senior Information Officer, [email protected] or Catherine Yuen, Principal Consultant (Vancouver) at (604) 331-1300, email [email protected].