HK Chief Executive Meets Estonian PresidentChief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Tung Chee Hwa met Estonian President Lennart Meri Friday.Tung briefed the president on Hong Kong's business opportunities and expressed the hope that Estonia would grant visa-free access to HKSAR passport holders. Tung told Meri, who is in Hong Kong on the last leg of his China visit, that he hoped the visit would be the forerunner of a new and close partnership between the two communities. The Chief Executive also briefed the president on the successful implementation of "One Country, Two Systems" in Hong Kong and updated him on the latest economic developments. Tung said that Hong Kong was positioning itself not only as a major Chinese city, but as a world city in Asia, combining the advantages of an international financial and trade center, a popular tourist destination and the regional base of over 3,000 multi-national corporations. As both Hong Kong and Estonia are fully committed to free market policies, Tung said much could be done to promote trade between the two places, and through Hong Kong into the mainland of China. Last year, trade between Hong Kong and Estonia totaled 12 million US dollars, 42 percent up from 1999, much of which involved trade between Estonia and the mainland of China. With China's accession to the World Trade Organization, Tung said the vast mainland market would be further opened up to new trading arrangements and patterns, providing enormous opportunities for investors. Noting that details for a Hong Kong/Estonia air services agreement was being finalized, the Chief Executive said the agreement would add impetus to bilateral tourism and trade. |
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