The Legislative Council (LegCo) has begun to organize its planned visit to the Shanghai Expo from May 8 to 10. The visit is being undertaken at the invitation of the Shanghai municipal authorities.

Led by LegCo President Jasper Tsang, lawmakers will first depart for Guangzhou, where they will ride on the express rail link to go to Wuhan. They will then board a connecting flight to Shanghai on the same day.

During the journey to Wuhan, the Ministry of Railways will arrange for senior engineers to give a briefing on express rail development on the mainland. For the next two days, the lawmakers will visit the Expo site, including the China Pavilion and the Hong Kong Pavilion.

Fast-track arrangements will be provided for the legislators to visit the major facilities without the inconvenience of queuing.

Tam Yiu-chung, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), says he is delighted at the chance to visit the Expo and ride on the express train.

He said he places high value on the trip, since this is only the second time that the entire LegCo has visited the mainland since 1997. The last time lawmakers visited Guangzhou was in 2005 under the leadership of Chief Executive Donald Tsang.

"All the (nine) lawmakers of our party will be joining the tour," he said. "It is a great opportunity to ride on the express train because China is a leader in this area and many foreign countries, including the USA and Russia, are learning the technology from China."

Wong Kwok-hing, from the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, said all of its four lawmakers (including three who double as DAB members) are excited about their participation in the big event.

As most lawmakers from the democratic camp do not have home entry permits to go to the mainland, the LegCo will arrange with relevant authorities single-entry permits for them as they did for the previous visit.

The Democratic Party caucus will meet Monday to discuss who will join. Party members feel they have a duty to see the Hong Kong Pavilion, built at a cost of HK$380 million, approved by the LegCo.

Democratic Party lawmaker Fred Li, who is a Shanghainese and holds a permanent home-entry permit, said that he can serve as a tour guide to show the other lawmakers around to enjoy good food.

China Daily

(HK Edition 04/10/2010 page1)