The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) announced yesterday that an expo would be organized for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to make the most of business opportunities created by the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA). The expo is planned for December 2-3, 2003.

CEPA will come into force on January 1 next year. The expo will be the largest promotional event yet staged following the signing of CEPA in June. The event is designed to help companies from Hong Kong, the mainland and overseas identify and capitalize on opportunities arising from CEPA.

"The expo is perfectly timed to allow Hong Kong companies the chance to gather useful and authoritative information under one roof and maximize the benefits of CEPA," said Anna Lai, deputy executive director of TDC.

More than 150 organizations and companies, including some 40 delegations from the Chinese mainland, will converge at the mega-promotional event next week.

Exhibitors from the mainland will include the economic and trade departments of provinces and cities from the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, the Northeast, Shanxi, Yunnan and Hainan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Lai said: "CEPA opens the door wider for Hong Kong companies to enter the mainland market, but different industries are subject to different entry thresholds.

"In addition, different provinces and cities will adopt varying incentives upon CEPA's implementation, so opportunities will vary among different localities," she said.

The expo will feature five themed pavilions: Facilitation and Information, Trade Promotion, China Opportunity, China Trade Service, and Industry Support.

Some 100 seminars and forums, as well as 30 business-matching conferences, will be held during the expo.

Lai described the upcoming expo as a one-stop shop offering participants access to useful information and advisory services and the chance to explore business opportunities related to CEPA.

The expo will also feature a series of on-site activities, including special offers and investment and trade co-operation symposiums.

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