Tang said he had met days ago with Vice Minister of Commerce AnMin in Khon Kaen, Thailand, having further discussions and making progress on the issue.

He said the agreement will surely further facilitate trade in goods and services between Hong Kong and the mainland.

Details of the agreement will be made public soon. Tang said itwill demonstrate to the international community that Hong Kong is an open and transparent city. It would also create unlimited business opportunities for local enterprises and overseas companies based in Hong Kong.

He said there are more improvements to be made on the issue in the future and the Hong Kong government is working on the target of "zero tariff" for Hong Kong products.

The secretary said the closer economic partnership arrangement is another step to show the Central Government's support for Hong Kong and "Hong Kong people is grateful to the Central Government for its unswerving support ever since Hong Kong's handover (in 1997)."

"President Hu Jintao and the State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan have all said that the closer economic partnership arrangement should make substantial progress and will benefit Hong Kong. I am sure itwill bring more economic benefits to Hong Kong as well as to the mainland," Henry Tang said.

Henry Tang has been appointed as secretary for commerce, industry and technology of the Hong Kong government since July 2002. Before joining the government, he was a leading industrialist in Hong Kong.

He told Xinhua that Hong Kong has experienced some of the most turbulent and challenging times in combating SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), but "through the devotion of our medical staff and the efforts of the government on containment measures, we are making success in containing the virus."

"This unprecedented crisis has cost us dearly, and yet we are now united as one in supporting our courageous SARS-fighters as well as victims and families affected by this new disease," he said.

"I consider myself a common member of the Hong Kong community,and I am also a government official. I have the very deep feeling through the SARS outbreak that people of Hong Kong have united to fight the epidemic," Tang said.

"All of us have experienced the special period when we believe the Hong Kong spirit is more alive," Tang said, adding that Hong Kong spirit is a drive to succeed.

"It is a spirit of caring for your family members, caring for your neighbors, caring for your fellow workers. Hong Kong spirit is also motivation and vitality to make what Hong Kong is like today," he said.

Tang said his life in the last two months is relatively normal and the life now is completely normal.

"Sometimes I go swimming, sometimes I go shopping with my family. We try to personally promote the local economy by going shopping as much as possible," he said with a smile.

(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2003)