Hong Kong and Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province in east China, signed a second agreement here Thursday for the exchange of civil servants between the two places.

Under the two-year pact, three to five officers from each side will be attached to their counterpart government for four to eight weeks annually from this year.

Thirty-one departments and related organizations of the two places joined the program under the first staff exchange agreement signed in early 2004. Between 2004 and 2006 there were 22 middle or senior ranking officers completing their attachments.

Hong Kong Secretary for the Civil Service Denise Yue and Hangzhou Vice-Mayor Sheng Jifang attended the signing ceremony, at which Hong Kong Deputy Secretary for the Civil Service Rosanna Ure and Hangzhou Municipal Government's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Director Zheng Zhemin signed the document.

According to the agreement, the scope of exchange was very extensive, including construction, city planning and environmental protection, transportation, labor protection, industry and commerce, education, public health, civil service management, treasury and audit, drug safety and social welfare.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2007)