SCMA speaks to media on Hong Kong-Taiwan relations (with photos/video)

SCMA speaks to media on Hong Kong-Taiwan relations (with photos/video)
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     Following is the transcript of the answers (English portion) by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Stephen Lam, and the Mayor of Taichung City, Mr Jason Hu, to a media question after a meeting and a briefing session organised by the HKSAR Government on the Individual Visit Scheme and other tourism-related issues for the Taiwan delegation:

Reporter: Can you tell us the city exchanges platform that you agreed this morning. Is it going to lead to visits to Taiwan by senior Hong Kong officials?

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: I’ll let the Mayor speak first, and then I’ll follow him.

Mayor of Taichung City: We are hoping that perhaps in the near future. I hope it would not take longer than three months. I will work on this project and bring a delegation here and start the whole thing. Then we will discuss what we would do next. After I bring a delegation here, I hope there will be a Hong Kong delegation to my city. There we can promote Hong Kong right on the spot. What we would do after then we will discuss.

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: We look forward to that mutual exchange and co-operation. I would just like to say that we, the Hong Kong Government, warmly welcome the recent developments between Hong Kong and Taiwan in terms of co-operation and exchanges. We particularly welcome the visit of Mayor Jason Hu and his delegation.

     Yesterday, the Financial Secretary received the delegation and had excellent exchanges and communication. Today, we organised this briefing for Mayor Hu and his delegates so that they will be able to take this opportunity to gain a deeper and broader understanding as to how we do tourism promotion on behalf of Hong Kong and to explore possibilities for co-operation.

     Today, the Mayor and myself, we have jointly agreed that we will initiate a new initiative – Hong Kong-Taiwan intercity forum, and we will start with Taichung and Hong Kong. We will pick a convenient moment in the next few months to commence this dialogue starting in Hong Kong and I warmly welcome the Mayor’s invitation that we reciprocate later to visit Taichung.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Ends/Thursday, January 8, 2009
Issued at HKT 12:54

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