G.F. 326
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the workforce to be more sophisticated and better
trained. Apart from manufacturing, the river, rail and
road transport links in the Pearl River Delta region
provide feeder services by which foodstuffs and other
consumer goods are carried down to meet Hong Kong's
everyday needs. Further, these transport links feed
China's exports through Hong Kong's local transport
network into Hong Kong's container port and other shipping
outlets. Hong Kong residents are the principal buyers of real estate and the principal users of tourist facilities
developed in the region.
50.
is
This metropolitan-fringe relationship cannot,
however, be used to describe the relationship between Hong
Kong and Guangzhou. Guangzhou is the provincial capital
of Guangdong and its population, at about 7 million,
larger than that of Hong Kong. It is the largest
industrial, commercial and communications centre in
southern China, with a hinterland covering five provinces
Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei. Since the
hinterlands of both cities have much in common, the economic relationship between Guangzhou and Hong Kong is of the inter-city rather than the metropolitan-fringe type.
51.
According to Chinese sources, Guangzhou's
domestic exports in 1985 amounted to US$0.4 billion. Hong
Kong was its largest export market, accounting for 60% of
this total, although some of this share of the exports
were probably re-exported subsequently. As regards the
relative importance of Hong Kong as a contributor of
foreign investment, during the period 1979 to 1985, total realised investment in Guangzhou in the form of equity
joint ventures, co-operative joint enterprises and
compensation trade arrangements amounted to US$0.4
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