Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau will leave for Davos on January 21 to attend the World Trade Organization (WTO) Informal Ministerial Gathering.

Mr Yau will also join the Hong Kong delegation led by the Chief Executive to attend World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting events there.

The WTO Informal Ministerial Gathering will discuss key priorities for the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in June, including WTO reform and the ongoing negotiations on fisheries subsidies.

Before the ministerial gathering, Mr Yau will join the Informal Meeting on the WTO Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce to discuss how to give further impetus to the initiative.

He will also meet other trade ministers and business leaders to strengthen economic and trade ties on the sidelines of the WEF Annual Meeting.

Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong on January 25. During his absence, Under Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Bernard Chan will be Acting Secretary.