************************************************************
The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People﷿s Congress, Mr Wu Bangguo, had a busy programme this (December 2) afternoon after his arrival in Hong Kong at noon.
Shortly after arriving at his hotel, Mr Wu met the Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, for an update on the latest developments in Hong Kong.
After the meeting, Mr Wu was accompanied by Mr Tsang to the first stop of his visit programme - the Vocational Training Council (VTC) Youth College in So Uk Estate.
Established in 2004, the college offers full-time courses in vocational studies as well as vocational development programmes.
Mr Wu was briefed on the college﷿s facilities and training programmes by the VTC Chairman, Mr Andrew Leung, and its Executive Director, Dr Carrie Willis.
He was shown the computer room and other classrooms where various courses such as dancing and skin-care courses were being held. He also visited the college﷿s library.
Mr Wu presented about 1,000 books and CDs on a wide range of subjects, including science and technology, history and Chinese culture, to the college.
While in So Uk Estate, the chairman visited the family of dim-sum master Wu Kin-wing and his wife who have been living in the estate since 1998. They have a 13-year-old daughter studying in Form 2 and a 12-year-old son studying in Form 1.
Chairman Wu was given a warm welcome and he showed great interest in the family﷿s everyday life and the children﷿s studies. He presented a computer to the children and a Fujian tea set to the family as gift.
His next stop was the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) where he met Principal Officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, Executive Council members, the Legislative Council President and the Chief Justice.
The day﷿s programme ended with a welcome dinner at the HKCEC hosted by the HKSAR Government and attended by 450 guests.
Mr Wu will tomorrow (December 3) visit the AsiaWorld-Expo, the venue of the ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006, and will later officiate at its opening ceremony at the HKCEC.
Ends/Saturday, December 2, 2006
Issued at HKT 20:23
NNNN