Miss Margaret Fong, Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs, USA, visited San Francisco in September and officiated at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco.

While in San Francisco, Miss Fong met with Robert Birgeneau, Chancellor, UC Berkeley and other members of the university; David Crane, Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger; Jack Wadsworth, Vice-Chair of Asia Society; Douglas Bereuter, President of Asia Foundation and Jane Wales, President and CEO of World Affairs Council as well as other business associations.

The Commissioner also took the opportunity to visit Sacramento and met with Garrett Ashley, Undersecretary for International Trade, State of California and Susanne Stirling, Vice President, International Affairs, California Chamber of Commerce.

Miss Fong, succeeded Miss Jacqueline Willis as Commissioner who retired after 37 years of service.

As a senior representative of the HKSARG, Miss Fong directs all the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s economic development, trade policy and constituency-building activities in the United States.

Miss Fong is an experienced Administrative Officer with rich experience in public administration and proven leadership and management abilities. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Administrative Service and Information Branch, the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Government House, the former Finance Branch and the former Constitutional Affairs Branch.

She was Deputy Director-General, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs, Washington from August, 1997, to September, 1999, and Deputy Secretary for Transport (later retitled Deputy Secretary for Environment, Transport and Works (Transport)) from October, 1999, to June, 2004.

Miss Fong returned to Washington after a five-year break and assumed the post of Director-General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in August 2004.