The Hong Kong Government is spending millions of dollars on American real estate in a bid to make sure the territory's US presence remains stable after 1997.
Hong Kong officials in the US are on the point of buying office space in San Francisco, and are negotiating similar deals in New York and Washington, to replace rented accommodation for the territory's economic and trade offices.
Secretary of Trade and Industry Denise Yue Chung-yee, whose office is in charge of the expenditure of overseas trade offices, has been looking over the final plans on a trip to Washington.
Barrie Wiggham, Hong Kong Commissioner in Washington, would not reveal the locations or prices of the three properties concerned, as the deals are still under negotiation.
The Washington property deal, which is close to being concluded, involves a grand, old four-storey brick building in the heart of a historic preservation district.
It is located at the southern end of what is referred to as Embassy Row, the stretch of Massachusetts Avenue dominated by beautiful embassy buildings and ambassadorial residences.
