Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Frederick Ma will visit New York and Toronto from April 19 to promote Hong Kong as an international financial centre and gateway to China.

He will meet senior officials and the financial services and business sectors. He will also speak at a luncheon and at business forums.

Mr Ma's programme in New York includes an address on opportunities in China, and US Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson will also be a keynote speaker.

In Toronto, Mr Ma will meet the Federal and Ontario Ministers of Finance Jim Flaherty and Greg Sorbara.

He will attend the Canada-Hong Kong Business Forum, and visit the Toronto Stock Exchange to open the stock market.