Hong Kong's Legislative Council on Friday approved the allocation of 256 million HK dollars (32.82US dollars) for Hong Kong to host the World Trade Organization's Sixth Ministerial Conference next year.

Financial Secretary Henry Tang welcomed the move, and said thismarked a major milestone in fulfilling the mission to host the conference next year.

"The ministerial conference is the most significant event on the World Trade Organization calendar and it is a great privilege for Hong Kong to host one," he said.

"We are delighted the Legislative Council has given funding approval for this event. We will now proceed full-steam ahead withthe necessary preparatory work for the Sixth Ministerial Conference."

Tang and Secretary for Commerce, Industry & Technology John Tsang also welcomed the appointment of Tony Miller as Hong Kong's new permanent WTO representative.

Tang said Miller's rich experience and recognized expertise in the trade field will be a great asset to the government in preparing for the conference.