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