Rubin to raise concerns on HK

UNITED States Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin has pledged to bring up the future of Hong Kong and human rights on the mainland in talks today with China's Finance Secretary Liu Zhongli.

Both have been attending this weekend's Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum finance ministers' meeting in the Philippines. A US spokesman said China's human rights track record would also be high on the agenda. Secretary for the Treasury Kwong Ki-chi assured APEC finance ministers that monetary and financial autonomy would be maintained after the handover. 'The success of Hong Kong has been led by markets, not by planners; by the idea of Adam Smith, not by central planning or government directives,' Mr Kwong said.