Press Releases

     At the invitation of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Stephen Lam, this (June 4) evening departed for a visit to Taipei. Following is the transcript of the remarks of Mr Lam to the media upon arrival in Taipei:

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: I am delighted that we have this opportunity, at the invitation of the Mainland Affairs Council, to visit Taiwan. The primary and main purpose of this visit is for us to have a working meeting with the Mainland Affairs Council to discuss how jointly both sides can enhance trade and economic co-operation between Hong Kong and Taiwan and how we can adopt some new measures and set up some new structures to enhance mutual co-operation. Following tomorrow's working session, we hope that whatever consensus we reach we will have the opportunity to give the media a full account. Also, tomorrow afternoon we will be making a visit to the Taipei City Council and I will make use of this opportunity to discuss with the City Council future possibilities for enhancing co-operation between Hong Kong and the Taipei City Council.

Reporter: Mainland affairs is your portfolio and more than 100,000 people have shown up to show their concern about this mainland affair. So how are you going to channel this concern to the Central Authorities?
 
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs: The main purpose of my visit today to Taiwan is to enhance mutual co-operation in the trade and economic sphere between the two places. But I could say that following Hong Kong’s return to the motherland in 1997, we have continued to remain as a free and open society and pluralistic views can be expressed in Hong Kong today and every day.

(Please also refer to the Chinese transcript.)

Ends/Thursday, June 4, 2009

SCMA arrives in Taipei (1)

At the invitation of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Stephen Lam, this (June 4) evening departed for a visit to Taipei. Photo shows Mr Lam being received by the Director of the Department of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs of the MAC, Mr Lo Mu-kun (right), at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.

SCMA arrives in Taipei (2)

Photo shows Mr Lam meeting the media upon arrival in Taipei this evening (June 4).