CHAN TO REPRESENT CANADA AT MACAU HANDOVER CEREMONIES
December 17, 1999 (3:45 p.m. EST) No. 278
CHAN TO REPRESENT CANADA AT MACAU
HANDOVER CEREMONIES
Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) Raymond Chan will represent Canada at the
ceremonies marking the handover of Macau from Portugal to China on December 19
and 20.
"Canada welcomes this historic event," said Mr. Chan. "As Macau now joins Hong Kong
as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China, I wish to reiterate our intention to
maintain close relations with its people."
Mr. Chan noted that Canada is confident that China will honour the "one country, two
systems" model for Macau. "A stable transition is key to ensuring continued economic
and social progress in Macau," he added.
Mr. Chan will attend a series of handover events with Chinese and Portuguese political
leaders, Macau Chief Executive Edmund Ho, and representatives from 30 other
countries.
Some 2000 Canadian citizens reside in Macau.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Naseem Nuraney
Office of the Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific)
(613) 995-1852
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874