Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology Henry Tang has departed for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt to attend an informal meeting of trade ministers from a group of World Trade Organisation Members to be held June 21-22. 

Mr Tang said the meeting provides a valuable opportunity for trade ministers to exchange views on a range of issues on the Doha Development Agenda.

It is also timely and important for the preparation of the WTO 5th Ministerial Conference, to be held in Cancun, Mexico in September this year, he added.

Egypt's Minister of Foreign Trade, Dr Youssef Boutros-Ghali, will host the meeting.

Other participants will include trade ministers from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, the European Commission, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, and the US.

General Council Chair Carlos Perez del Castillo and the WTO Director-General Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi will also be present.