"Taichung Mayor arrival in Hong Kong for the five-day visit | AboutHK.Com - more information about HK"

Traveling at the head of a 90-member group of city officials and executives, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu arrived in Hong Kong Monday for a five-day visit - the last character of the recent efforts by Taiwan and Hong Kong to halt long-between Taiwan and China since relations have improved. Besides the invitation to Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, Secretary of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam office and other Hong Kong officials, Hu will also attend a forum co-sponsor Wednesday Taichung City and Hong Kong for two-way exchange. Delegates from the two sides will discuss in the forum issues related to stepping up cooperation between Taichung and Hong Kong in trade, commerce, tourism, culture and city management. On Thursday, Hu will participate in a "2009 Taichung Tea Party", organized by the Hong Kong office of Taipei in Taiwan Visitors Association, and other activities of the Hong Kong Tourism Promotion authorities before flying back to Taiwan Friday. The Hong Kong government decided in early January, to create a forum for the exchange with Taiwan cities periodically in Taichung City as its first partner. A second meeting of the "Hong Kong-Taichung City Exchange Forum" will take place in the city of Taichung, central Taiwan in the coming months. The Hong Kong government hopes to advance further interactions with the cities in Taiwan on the platform in the forum, said a spokesman. Hu last visited Hong Kong in early January, together with three other local government leaders from Central Taiwan - Taichung Magistrate Huang Chung-sheng, Changhua Magistrate Cho Po-yuan and Nantou Magistrate Lee Chao-ching. Hu said during the recent visit to Hong Kong, that he noticed a big change in the Hong Kong government on Taiwan, Hong Kong as he met with officials at public events have shown great interest in improving relations with Taiwan. "I used to be able to meet Hong Kong officials in a private capacity only," he noted. Hu's ongoing trip to Hong Kong follows that of Hong Kong's Home Affairs Secretary Tsang Tak-sing, who visited Taipei March 31-April 2 for an international Buddhist forum. He was the first senior Hong Kong official to visit Taiwan since Hong Kong's 1997 handover to China. Analysts have recently told reporters that Hong Kong's hands were tied in terms of building relations with Taiwan during the eight years of strained relations between Beijing and Taipei under the previous Taiwanese president Chen Shui-bian of the rule. The relations between Taiwan and China have improved significantly since the residence Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou took office in May last year. Hong Kong, a British colony until 1997, is a special administrative region of China. Comments Please login to post comments or replies.