Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau will attend the World Trade Organization (WTO) Informal Ministerial Gathering and meetings and events held during the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, from January 22 to 26.

Mr Yau will speak at a panel discussion entitled "Building the Belt & Road and sharing the benefits of the economic globalisation" at the Belt & Road Forum hosted by Tsinghua University, International Cooperation Center of the National Development & Reform Commission, United Nations Industrial Development Organization and United Nations Institute for Training & Research, and co-organised by the Commerce & Economic Development Bureau.

He will meet other trade ministers and business leaders attending the events to discuss issues relating to forging closer economic and trade ties. He will also join part of Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s visit programme.

Held on the margins of the WEF on January 25, the WTO Informal Ministerial Gathering provides an opportunity for participating ministers to discuss the latest global trade developments and brainstorm ways to advance the trade agenda and preserve the relevance and credibility of the multilateral trading system.

Before the Informal Ministerial Gathering, Mr Yau will attend the Informal Ministerial Meeting on Electronic Commerce to explore with other ministers on how WTO negotiations can capture opportunities offered by electronic commerce for all WTO Members.

In his absence, Under Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Bernard Chan will be Acting Secretary.