Speaking in response to speculation yesterday that he had been snubbed by the Hong Kong government once again, the Taipei City Government said yesterday that Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had never meant to make a trip to Hong Kong this month to speak at Hong Kong University.
According to a report by media network ETToday, the Hong Kong paper Sing Pao Daily News yesterday reported that in a press release from Hong Kong University last week, there had been no mention of a lecture by Ma despite the university's claim that the original January lecture to be given by Ma had been delayed until this month.
In an interview with the Taipei Times, a Taipei City Government representative denied yesterday that Ma had ever had any plans to visit the territory this month.
The representative said that the lecture had been originally scheduled for January, only because Ma was available at that time. Given the Taipei City Council begins meeting this week, it is impossible that Ma would have rescheduled the lecture for this month, said the representative, who declined to be named.
Ma made headlines in January when he was denied a visa by the Hong Kong government to give a speech at the university.
While the territory's government refused to comment on the reasons behind the denial, it was widely speculated that the move was in reaction to Ma's criticism of China's recently proposed "Anti-Secession" Law. Ma said at the time that he had been asked to cancel the trip before being officially denied a visa.
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