************************************************************
At the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Permanent Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Joshua Law, and a delegation of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) are visiting Beijing.
While in Beijing, the delegation met Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Zhang Yesui, and the heads of various departments of the ministry. The delegation also made courtesy calls on the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Legislative Affairs Commission of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
A spokesman for the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau today (December 7) said that the visit was conducted under the established arrangement of reciprocal visits between the HKSAR Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The delegation arrived in Beijing on the evening of December 4 and will return to Hong Kong tomorrow.
Since 1999, officials from the HKSAR Government and those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been conducting reciprocal visits once a year to enhance communication and mutual understanding, the spokesman added.
Ends/Friday, December 7, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:06
NNNN