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A long article in La Repubblica, Rome, in its "Personal Business" section, dubs Hong Kong "The paradise of businessmen". The author, Santi Messina, says that a questionnaire, compiled by the EIBTM (European Incentive, Business Travels and Meetings) puts Hong Kong on top. European businessmen apparently liked Hong Kong's hotel facilities which they say are the best compared to any other business location in the world. They also appreciated the Hong Kong entrepreneur spirit and the night life.
Many major European papers gave wide coverage to the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank's 15% buy-up of the UK Midland Bank. Another bank story that caught the eye of Italian journalists was the setting up of a branch of Banco di Napoli in Hong Kong.
The Brussels-based financial daily Echo de la Bourse, in a story on the recent Brussels Chamber of Commerce accord with China, said that it was thanks to Hong Kong that the Chamber was able to get personal contacts which were "essential in order to give maximum support to Belgian companies". The author quotes Louis Ameye, President of the Chamber as saying that he was "very impressed with the speed with which Hong Kong had met the requests of those Belgian company representatives accompanying the Mission". Plans were afoot, he said, to set up a branch of the Brussels Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong too.
A recent report in Le Figaro reports on the restarting of the Daya Bay construction project after work was halted at the end of September.
On a more lighthearted note, the Rotterdam Nieuwsblad, in an article on the Rotterdam Symposium, China: Marriage or Flirtation, printed a large photo of SASI, Peter Tsao who gave the key note speech. The photo caption reads "Sorry I'm here personally but my video equipment is broken", referring to the fact that Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers, due to a heavy work programme, had sent a video film of himself instead of attending personally!
/Watches