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CS visits Washington DC
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, arrived Washington DC from Los Angeles on Wednesday (June 12, Washington DC time) evening for the seventh and final leg of her US tour.
The purpose of the trip was to follow up on the Governor's visit to the city in May and to reinforce the Hong Kong case on a number of issues including the unconditional extension of most favoured nation status for China, the protection of Intellectual Property Rights, and to update contacts on Hong Kong's preparations for the transition.
Mrs Chan began her day at the Treasury Department for a meeting with the Secretary for the Treasury, Mr Robert Rubin, treasury officials and economists.
She then travelled to Capitol Hill to call on Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the committee with jurisdiction for MFN and trade issues, Senator William Roth; and Senator John McCain, one of the Senate's most authoritative experts on foreign policy and who was involved in the preparation of Presidential candidate Bob Dole's recent policy speech on China and Asian affairs.
During her visit, Mrs Chan also met Congressman Senator Tom Delay, the House Majority Whip: California Senator Dianne Feinstein; Congressman John Porter, Co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and Vice Chairman of the Congressional Hong Kong Caucus; Congressman Doug Bereuter, Chairman of the Asia and Pacific Sub-committee of the International Relations Committee; Congressman Ben Gilman, Chairman of the International Relations Committee; Congressman Jim Kolbe, leader of the pro-MFN coalition; and Senators Sam Nunn, Claiborne Pell, Charles Robb, and Joseph Lieberman.
Talking to the media between meetings, Mrs Chan said she had spent a very worthwhile three-week visit to the United States.
"I've been very encouraged by the continued interest, and in a way heightened interest, in Hong Kong as we draw nearer 1997," she said, adding that she had found considerable goodwill towards Hong Kong.
"The visit has also given me the opportunity to try to bring people here up to date on what we've done during the last 12 years to put in place the foundation for Hong Kong to practice a high degree of autonomy."