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Mr. Kwok Tak-shing: Chairman of Sun Hung Kai Properties, Mr. Kwok Tak-shing, in an interview with the Financial Daily, said he was optimistic about Hong Kong's future. He was confident that investors would bring their funds back to the territory eventually because Hong Kong was the ideal place for investment. In fact, worries among local residents about the territory's future had receded recently. He expected the property market to pick up in the foreseeable future.

Mr. John Marden: Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Mr. John Marden, believed that public confidence would be restored once the Sino-British talks on the 1997 issue reached an agreement. He said the HKGCC had already sent an opinion paper on Hong Kong's future to the Prime Minister.

Mr. Pong Hai: In an interview with the Financial Daily, Mr. Pong Hai of Shui Wing Steel Ltd. said the 1997 issue had disturbed Hong Kong's millionaires, but had little bearing on the public and industrialists.

Miss Cecilia Fung: Wen Wei Po published an interview with Miss Cecilia Fung, assistant executive director of HKGCC about the chamber's recent trade mission to China. She said Chinese officials generally recognised the role that foreign investment played in China's modernisation and they also expressed concern over energy and transport problems. The mission collected information about more than 100 joint ventures with foreign investors. The information would be collated and distributed to members of HKGCC.

Mr. J.P. Lee: Mr. J.P. Lee of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association told a seminar on 30 March that many enterpreneurs wanted to do business with China once it had adopted an open economy policy, Ta Kung Pao reported. Hong Kong, being so close to China, could help foreign investors gain a better understanding of the investment climate there, he added.

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OTHER ITEMS:

UK Chinese in HK: About 30 ethnic Chinese in UK are now in HK on a 10-day visit. They will meet senior Government officials to disucss HK's future and investment prospects. Some members would also visit Beijing and Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

TDC_missions_to_China: The HK Economic Journal quoted a spokesman for the TDC saying the council would send at least four delegations to China in the next 12 months. However, he said the TDC had no plan to set up a branch office in China.

Mr. Peng Zhen: Chinese Vice Premier, Mr. Wen Li, told a Japanese newspaper that the NPC would meet in a plenary session in June to promote Mr. Peng Zhen to chairmanship of the NPC Standing Committee following the resignation of Marshall Ye Jianying in March.

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