STAMP OF APPROVAL

Taiwan's de facto envoy, Chang Liang-jen, paid a visit to the Hong Kong Stamps Exposition at the Convention and Exhibition Centre yesterday after taking up the post of managing director of the Chung Hwa Travel Service.

He earlier dropped in to the Taipei Trade Centre in Wan Chai.

After waiting for more than a year to be granted a working visa, Mr Chang was keen to paint a rosy picture of future relations between the SAR and Taiwan. 'I think the room for co-operation in all aspects is enormous,' Mr Chang said.

He has yet to meet any SAR officials, but Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's special adviser, Paul Yip Kwok-wah, said he had already had several exchanges with Mr Chang on the way forward for Taiwan-Hong Kong relations. Mr Yip said he believed Mr Chang was very clear that the role of the Chung Hwa Travel Service was to foster economic and cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Hong Kong. However, there is still no official means of communication between the two.