Yesterday and today, President Lennart Meri's working visit to the People's Republic of China continued in the province of Hainan, where Wang Houhong, the Governor of the province, told the President about the economy of the province situated on the island of Hainan, where tourism is the main source of income. On the island which is the southernmost point of the People's Republic of China, a lot of historical heritage has been preserved, and also renovated. In the independent province that was established 13 years ago, investments have been made not only into tourist objects, but also into road construction and telecommunications network. The gross domestic product of the province, which has the status of a special economic zone, was 51 billion US dollars.

On the Estonian President's meeting with the leaders of the Hainan province, possibilities for tightening mutual relations were discussed. As President Meri said, the Chinese have a lot of possibilities for getting to know countries of the North, while Estonians, as well as Finns, Swedes, and other peoples of northern Europe would certainly benefit from knowing the cultural history of the island of Hainan in the South China Sea. The Vice Governor of the province hosted a dinner in honour of the President.

Tomorrow, President Meri will visit Macau Special Administrative Region, where he will meet the island's governmental leader Edmund Ho and the Honorary Consul of Estonia Dr. Liu Chak-Wan. The President of the Republic will then continue his visit in Hong Kong, where he will be received by Tung Chee Hwa, Chairman of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Area. The President will also meet Jeffrey Lam Kin Fung, the honorary consul of Estonia. On Friday, President Lennart Meri and Signe Ratso, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy will speak of the opportunities of Estonian economy in the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, and there will be a visit to the port of Hong Kong.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, March 6, 2001

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