Chief Executive John Lee will depart for South Korea on Wednesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.

Ahead of the Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, Lee said he will hold bilateral talks with other leaders on boosting trade collaboration at the event in Gyeongju.

He said Apec members are the SAR's important trading partners as they account for about 80 percent of the city's external trade.

Lee will return to the SAR on November 2. Two days later, he will lead a delegation to Shanghai for the 8th China International Import Expo.

"There will be more than 3,200 enterprises from some 110 countries and regions attending the event," he said.

"Over 350 Hong Kong enterprises will join the expo this year, which is a record high. They account for more than 10 percent of the total number of exhibitors."

The event will run from November 5 to 10.

Lee went on to say that he will also attend an inaugural large-scale promotional event on the mainland organised by the newly established GoGlobal Task Force in Shanghai.

The team, launched early this month, aims to help mainland firms expand overseas.