Honorary Chairman of Kuomintang (KMT) Lien Chan was conferred an honorary doctorate by the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong Thursday.

The university awarded Lien a degree of Doctor of Laws, honoriscausa, in recognition of his important contributions towards the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, the promotion of understanding among the Chinese people, and the advancement of higher education and Chinese culture.

Lien and five other distinguished persons received the degrees from Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang at the Chinese University's Sixty-second Congregation for the Conferment of Degrees.

After the ceremony, Lien said that he felt honored to be conferred the degree and he will make most of his efforts to enhance cultural exchange between East and West as well as the communication between the two straits.

Lien will also deal with a topic about the perspective of Chinese people in a speech to be delivered on December 10 at the university.

The other five persons who received honorary degrees include President of Association for Relations Across Taiwan Straits Wang Daohan, Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited Cheng Hoi-chuen, renowned sociologist Professor King Yeo-chi, Academician of Academia Sinica in Taiwan Professor Li Yihyuan, and Dr Richard J. Roberts, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 1993.

Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Deputy Director Li Gang also attended the conferment congregation.

Lien arrived in Hong Kong from Taipei on December 7 and will leave for Taipei on December 11.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2005)