HK Chief Executive Meets Mayor of Taipei

HK Chief Executive Meets Mayor of Taipei

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Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), met with visiting Mayor of Taipei Ma Ying-jeou and his delegation Tuesday at Government House and exchanged views about urban developments in Hong Kong and Taipei.

Tung told Ma about the situation in Hong Kong following its return to the motherland and said the "one country, two systems" principle has been successfully implemented in Hong Kong.

Foreign capital continues to come in Hong Kong; former Hong Kong residents who have emigrated overseas continue to return; regional headquarters and offices of multinational companies in Hong Kong are increased from 2,500 at the end of 1999 to 3,000 at the end of 2000.

These indicators demonstrate that Hong Kong people and the international community are confident about the "one country, two systems" principle, he noted.

Tung said that Hong Kong's urban look is changing rapidly, in view of extensive urban developments in Hong Kong in recent years.

The chief executive and Ma also exchanged views about environmental protection work including sewage treatment and recycling of solid wastes.

Looking into Hong Kong's long term economic prospects, Tung said that following China's accession to the WTO, business opportunities in Hong Kong would increase significantly, and the economic relations between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta would grow even closer.

Tung hoped that, on the basis of the opening-up of the country, economic and trade relations between Hong Kong and Taiwan would be strengthened further.