US homeland security chief visits Hong Kong port

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2006

HONG KONG (AFP) — US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff toured a port in Hong Kong operated by Hutchison Whampoa, which is negotiating with Washington for a major contract in the Bahamas.

Chertoff inspected operations and met with officials at the Kwai Chung Port in the former British colony, the US consulate said in a statement.

Hutchison, the world's largest ports operator controlled by Asia's richest man Li Ka-shing, had said the deal with Washington would involve the screening of cargo entering the Bahamas for radioactive material.

The deal has not been finalized and no agreement has been signed, the company has said.

Chertoff's visit to Hong Kong was part of a wider trip through Asia, with stops in Tokyo, Singapore and Beijing.

© 2006 AFP