Forum on City Development in HK, Taipei OpensThe Two-City Forum "City Development Management in Hong Kong and Taipei" opened Monday in Hong Kong.Some 100 participants from both cities would discuss issues on urban planning, management and renewal, and mass transportation management as well. Delivering an opening speech, Paul Yip, chairman of the HKPRI, said the two-city forum was the focus of HKPRI's undertakings, and exchanges between Hong Kong and other cities help improve the interests of local residents. He said he is pleased to host the forum in Hong Kong following the first one in Taipei in January 2000, and he hopes the forum can continue to be held to contribute more to the welfare of the people. Yang Chih-heng, deputy director of the Taiwan Research Institute, said Hong Kong has set good examples for Taiwan in many aspects of its rule of law and its work efficiency, and exchanges between Hong Kong and Taipei has yielded more significant results. Ma Ying-jeou, mayor of Taipei, also spoke highly of the exchanges on urban management between the two cities, and said Hong Kong's experiences on slope management and city transportation are very valuable for Taipei's urban construction. Ma said he was pleased to witness Hong Kong's continuos progress following its return to the motherland in 1997 and the successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle. Taiwan compatriots are also happy to see that Hong Kong can be better administered by the Chinese people than the British, and this will be more helpful to promote the Hong Kong-Taipei exchanges, he said. The forum was organized by the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute (HKPRI) and the Taiwan Research Institute, with its participants from various departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Taipei city authorities and related institutions of both cities. |
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