CJ1AEW
BACKGROUND
CONFIDENTIAL
accounts
1. Hong Kong
for 1.2% of all United Kingdom exports. It is our 18th largest market worldwide and Our
2nd largest in the Far East after Japan. (Hong Kong briefly became our largest export mark ed in the area
during the first quarter of 1985 but it has since dropped behind Japan on the basis of January to June figures.) In 1984 Our share of the market amounted to 3.9% when we
were Hong Kong's 6th largest market after China, Japan, the USA, Taiwan and Singapore.
On January to June figures
for 1985 our market share is now about 3.5%.
2.
British companies are very interested and active in
the Hong Kong market where our exports are mostly capital good s for project business including power generation equipment, transport equipment and electrical machinery. Project business
business apart,
apart, healthcare products, information technology,
exploration and high quality consumer goods have been identified as the sectors offering the best potential for future exports.
construction
services,
offshore
oil
3. In a particularly aggressive market, and in the face
of soft loan elements in competitors' financial packages, United Kingdom companies are actively pursuing important
project business contracts. Recent successes in this
sector have included the Castle Peak Power stations, Mass Transit Railway and Naptha Gas Plant. Despite the loss
by a consortium led by GEC of the main contract to build
the Tun Muen Light rail system, British companies have
since been awarded substantial sub-contracts for the
project totalling £30 million and the Kowloon Canton
Railway Corporation recently placed order for 75 new
coaches worth approximately £30 million with Metro
an
CONFIDENTIAL