GOVERNOR Chris Patten has been urged to represent Hong Kong during lobbying in the United States for the annual renewal of China's Most Favoured Nation (MFN) trading status.
Speaking at the Legislative Council's trade and industry panel meeting yesterday, legislator James Tien Pei-chun said not only was Mr Patten knowledgeable about the issue, but the move would improve relations with China.
But the Secretary for Trade and Industry, Brian Chau Tak-hay, said Mr Patten's visit to Washington last year had been criticised by Beijing as ''internationalising'' Hong Kong's affairs.
The Government would outline the pros and cons of Mr Patten going to the US and he would make the final decision.
Mr Tien's suggestion came in response to a report from the Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs in the US, Barrie Wiggham.
Mr Wiggham told legislators that lobbying missions should be carefully planned because China's human rights conditions remained the main concern of the US Congress.
