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HONG KONG, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Donald Tsang on Saturday met visiting Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer, who was leading a business delegation to promote trade on his first official visit here. Fischer also attended a breakfast meeting hosted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) earlier Saturday to meet the local business community and witness the signing of two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on trade cooperation. Economic diplomacy is a priority for Czech foreign policy and Hong Kong represents one of the largest export markets in Asia for the Czech Republic, Fischer said. "Hong Kong is one of the best examples of how openness in trade and investment brings rewards and prosperity. The Czech Republic is among the countries which have long advocated the removal of barriers in world trade," he said at the breakfast meeting.
Fischer said a certain revival was already appearing in the Czech economy, which was forecast to grow by 0.3 percent to 0.5 percent year on year in 2010. Fred Lam, executive director of HKTDC, said bilateral trade grew by 23 percent year on year to 960 million U.S. dollars in 2008, and by 5 percent year on year in the first half of this year in spite of the impacts of the global economic downturn. Hong Kong business delegations have visited Prague over the past years, and another Hong Kong business delegation will head for Prague later this month, Lam said. Fischer arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday. It was the first leg of his three-day visit to Asia, which was also expected to bring him to China's Macao Special Administrative Region and the Philippines. |
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