HONG KONG -- Hong Kong Financial Secretary Henry Tang welcomed the re-election of U.S. President George W. Bush Thursday, based on his free trade policies.
Hong Kong had evaluated the U.S. election in terms of its expected economic impact on the territory, Tang said, and believed it would be positive.
"The Bush administration is basically a free trade administration and we welcome a free trade administration," he told reporters Thursday. "Based on the track record in the past four years, the economy has enjoyed a relative period of growth in terms of trade," he added.
Tang also praised U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick for his positive and active role in promoting the Doha Development Agenda, which Hong Kong supports. The policy was developed by the World Trade Organization in 2001 to promote free trade and open up new world markets.
