When news broke of the September 11 terrorist attacks our first move was to make sure colleagues in our New York office were safe. Thank goodness, they were. Our second was to hit the phones.

We had Asia's largest electronics fair to open in Hong Kong just three weeks away. With global travel in turmoil, we had to act urgently to secure overseas buyer attendance. It required a supreme effort by TDC staff worldwide and much individual persuasion. But we did it. On the first day of the show there was even a year-on-year increase in the number of US buyers - and we have kept it up. Since "911" we have managed an overall increase in overseas buyers at TDC fairs.

I tell the story because it is a useful metaphor for TDC in 2001/02, which also marked our 35th anniversary. It has been a year of delivering more against heavier odds. With less income and fewer staff, we powered ahead in a tougher business climate with new initiatives, improved services and performance breakthroughs. These have a chapter of their own (see page 22). Here, I will mention just a few of special note.

Developing the mainland as a domestic market for Hong Kong SMEs is our new promotional priority. We were ready at the moment of China's WTO entry with a "no-time-to-lose" package of information, activities and services. This is backed by TDC's 11 offices in the mainland, the most of any overseas trade promotion organisation, and our databank of 120,000 mainland enterprises. Our new China Business Advisory Service is proving particularly popular with customers. By special arrangement, experts from mainland trade ministries and departments are seconded to our Customer Service Centre to offer one-on-one advice about operating in the mainland.

The year saw further progress in strengthening Hong Kong as a global sourcing hub. We split our gift and houseware fair into two fairs, a bold move that enabled us to attract 43 per cent more buyers from around the world and accommodate almost 1,000 more exhibitors. We still have a waiting list of giftware exhibitors, which underscores our need to plan for a Phase III extension of the Convention and Exhibition Centre (CEC).

Many TDC services are offered via our Internet portal, tdctrade.com. In 2001/02 we made this indispensable trade tool available in the mobile environment. Traders on the move now have ready access via their personal digital assistants (PDAs) and WAP phones.

This has been a year of reaching out to stakeholders and customers. They have responded keenly to our road shows and to tailored industry presentations alerting them to new opportunities and introducing TDC's full service range.

While much is said about trimming fat from statutory organisations, TDC is already very lean and self-restrained. For example, the number of Directorate staff has been reduced from 12 in 1996 to seven now. We de-linked TDC salaries from the civil service pay scale several years ago and abolished automatic annual increments. In the interests of greater transparency, we disclose information about salaries and performance pay for myself and my deputies (see Financial Report, page 71).