American Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick met with the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and discussed issues of mutual interests in Hong Kong Saturday.

After the 30-minute discussion with Donald Tsang, Zoellick said the meeting enabled him "to listen and to learn" about Hong Kong's economy and recent political changes.

Major topics discussed included aviation agreements and intellectual property protection.

Zoellick noted that he had briefed Tsang about discussions on avian flu at a regional security conference he just attended in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

He said he will discuss foreign policy and economics with senior Chinese officials when he travels to Beijing this weekend.

(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2005)