GRS 650
CONFIDENT WAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FGO
TELNO 2797
OF 17103OZ JULY 87
INFO PR KORNTY PEKING
CONFIDENTIAL
MY TELNO 2774: HKSB TAKEOVER OF MARINE MIDLAND
+
02/8
TOP COPY Q DIST ?
MARKET AND PRESS REACTION TO THE HKSB'S BRD FOR THE REMAINING
SHARES IN MARINE MIDLAND WS SUMMED UP BY THE SUB-HEADLINE IN TODAY'S
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST ''HKSB GETS FULL MARKS FOR TUMANG''.
2. MARKET REACTION #MS WHOLLR FAVOURABLE. THURSDAY, 16 JULY AND FRIDAY, 17 JULY WERE IN ANY CASE PART OF A RENEWED BULL MARKET N
HONG KONG WITH NEW RECORDS SET ON THE HANG SENG NDEX. NEVERTHELESS
THE MARKET IS NOT ALL ONE WAY AND WOULD HAVE REACTED AGAINST HKSB
NF ANALYSIS HAD BEEN UNFAVOURABLE. BOTH HKSB AND HANG SENG (SEPARATELY LISTED) HAVE MOVED UP AND THE VOLUME OF HKSB SHARES WAS THE HEAVIEST STOCK TRADED ON THURSDAY.
3. PRESS COMMENT HAS ENTERPETED THE MOVE AS BEING PART OF HKSB'S
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME AND HAS ACCEPTED UT N A POSITIVE LIGHT.
TYPICAL CHINESE PRESS COMMENTS ARE:
(a)
''ANALYSTS RECOGNIZED THE BHD AS PART OF HKSB'S
INTERNATIONALIZATION PROGRAMME
(HA)
''THE BAD MS A GOOD STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY.
(**) **THE USING OF DOLLARS 5 BILLION BY HKSB TO BIND FOR THE
REMAINING OF MMBN DEMONSTRATED THE DETERMINATION OF HKSB TO
BROADEN ITS INTERNAT HONAL BUSINESS.''
4. THE ENGLISH PRESS, PARTICULARLY THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST,'
DEVOTE MUCH SPACE TO THE STORY WHICH MS GIVEN IN FULL AND ACCURATELY.
MAHN LEADER OF THE S.C.M.P. AS AN ANALYSIS UNDER THE HEADING
''BANKING ON A GLOBAL NETWORK FOR SUCCESS''. THE MOVE S PRESENTED
AS ''A LOGICAL AND NECESSARY STEP TO ENSURE CONTINUED PRE-
EMINENCE, PROFITABILITY AND GROWTH''. FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS ARE
WORTH QUOTING IN FULL:
**WN RECENT YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN A TENDENCY TO VIEW MAJOR
OVERSEAS HNVESTMENTS BY HONGKONG COMPANIES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF
THE TERR WTORY'S REVERSION TO CHINA IN 1997. IN FACT, MODERN TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, COMPUTERS AND OTHER INNOVATIONS
HAVE NOT ONLY BLURRED TRADITIONAL DISTINCTIONS AMONG DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, BUT THEY HAVE MADE GLOBAL
COMPETENCY AND CAPACITY ESSENTHAL FOR PROFITABILITY AND GROWTH.
CONFIDENTIAL
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