Hong Kong visit by Canadian frigate underlines good relations with China

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONG KONG - Canadian military officials say the current visit to Hong Kong by the frigate HMCS Regina is indicative of the good relationship they enjoy with their Chinese counterparts.

The Regina's captain, Cmdr. Haydn Edmundson, told reporters in Hong Kong on Tuesday that his ship didn't experience any problems in paying a courtesy call to the Chinese territory.

In fact, Edmundson says Chinese authorities even cleared them to travel through the sensitive Taiwan Straits so the Regina could avoid a storm.

Col. Chris Weicker, military attache at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, said the Regina's port call in Hong Kong was approved in three weeks, a process that normally takes four or five.

Weicker says Canada sees the quick approval as "a sign of our good relationship."

Weicker adds that he and Edmundson were also accorded a visit Monday to the People's Liberation Army base in Hong Kong - an unusual reception for a relatively small warship like the Regina.

The Regina is visiting Hong Kong as part of a western Pacific outreach tour.

It arrive from Japan, where it took part in military exercises with Japanese and U.S. navy vessels.

© The Canadian Press, 2008