Financial Secretary Henry Tang will attend the World Trade Organisation Fifth Ministerial Conference, to be held in Mexico from September 10 to 14, at the invitation of the Conference Chair and Mexican Foreign Minister Dr Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista.

Mr Tang will also take the opportunity to solicit WTO members' support for staging the Sixth Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong.

"We have ample experience in hosting major international events and are confident that the Sixth Ministerial Conference will be a success should we have the privilege of playing host," he added.

At the conference in Mexico, Mr Tang will serve as one of the Friends of the Chair, and play a key facilitating role on the negotiations on non-agricultural market access.

He will also work closely with the Dr Bautista and other WTO Members to build consensus.

"I am pleased to accept the invitation and offer my service at this critical juncture in the current round of WTO negotiations.

"In Cancun, I will advise and assist the Chair in identifying a suitable framework to achieve an ambitious cut in non-agricultural tariffs. Discussions amongst members so far have not led to any consensus. We need to take bold steps in the negotiations to improve market access and promote free and open trade for non-agricultural goods. My role is to pull members together towards an ambitious, credible and yet balanced package," he added.

Mr Tang stressed he would not underestimate the difficulty of his task as a Friend of the Chair as it is often hard to find a formulation acceptable to all 146 WTO Members, not to mention tactical links with other controversial issues.

He said: "As the freest economy in the world with no import tariffs, Hong Kong, China stands to benefit from further concessions given by other WTO Members in tariff negotiations. Reduced tariffs in our overseas markets will help boost our domestic economy as Hong Kong thrives on free trade."

Mr Tang will leave on September 8 to join the Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology, John Tsang, in representing Hong Kong, China at the conference.

Other members of the Hong Kong, China delegation include Director-General of Trade & Industry Kevin Ho and Hong Kong Permanent Representative to the WTO Joshua Law.