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BUT WE ALSO LOOKED TO FRIENDLY COUNTRIES TO HELP. WE HAD OUR OWN MASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANS, INCLUDING PORT EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT. I BRIEFED HIM ON PADS IN SOME DETAIL. THESE PLANS WOULD PROVIDE MAJOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES. WE ALSO PLANNED TO INCREASE EDUCATIONAL OPPORT- UNITIES FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE. WE NEEDED MORE TRAINED PEOPLE TO ENABLE HONG KONG TO DEVELOP AS A HIGH-TECHNOLOGY/SERVICE CENTRE. BUT WE ALSO NEEDED TO MAINTAIN AND INCREASE INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT, AND OUR INTERNATIONAL TRADING LINKS, IN ORDER TO BUILD UP HONG KONG AS AN INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL AND TRADING CENTRE AND THUS CREATE A FIRM FOUNDATION FOR ITS FUTURE. NAKAYAMA SAID THAT THE JAPANESE HAD A HIGH REGARD FOR THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.
AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS
4.
IN THE CONTEXT OF BUILDING UP HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC AUTONOMY I SAID THAT THERE WAS ONE SPECIFIC AREA WHERE THE JAPANESE COULD HELP. WE NEEDED TO BUILD UP SEPARATE ASAS FOR HONG KONG BEFORE 1997. WE WERE KEEN TO NEGOTIATE AND SIGN AN ASA WITH THE JAPANESE AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE, BECAUSE JAPAN WAS A MAJOR MARKET FOR HONG KONG AND A MAJOR COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER. NAKAYAMA SIMPLY
SAID THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT HAD STARTED TO STUDY THIS
QUESTION.
APEF
5. I SAID THAT ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE NEEDED TO ESTABLISH HONG
KONG'S AUTONOMY WITHIN THE TERMS LAID DOWN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, WAS THROUGH INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OF OUR
PARTICIPATION IN MAJOR ECONOMIC INITIATIVES SUCH AS APEF. NAKAYAMA
ASKED IF WE WOULD LIKE JAPANESE SUPPORT TO ENABLE US TO PARTICIPATE
IN FUTURE ROUNDS. I SAID THAT WE WOULD. IT MADE NO/NO SENSE
TO EXCLUDE HONG KONG FROM ASIA/PACIFIC ECONOMIC DISCUSSIONS.
WE WERE THE ELEVENTH LARGEST TRADING ENTITY IN THE WORLD. AUTONOMY
IN DEALING WITH ECONOMIC MATTERS WAS WRITTEN INTO THE JOINT
DECLARATION: BUT WE NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT THIS WAS FIRMLY
ESTABLISHED AS ACCEPTED INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE WELL BEFORE 1997.
THIS WAS VERY IMPORTANT. WE WERE FLEXIBLE AS TO THE MANNER OF OUR
PARTICIPATION. NAKAYAMA SAID THAT THE IMPORTANCE THAT JAPAN
ATTACHED TO HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC POSITION WAS PROVED BY THE FACT
THAT JAPAN HAD ALREADY INVITED HONG KONG TO THE GATT MINISTERIAL FORUM TO BE HELD IN JAPAN LATER THIS MONTH. SOME 27 STATES/ TERRITORIES WOULD ATTEND. FROM TIME TO TIME THE JAPANESE WOULD TAKE SUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES TO MENTION TO THE CHINESE THE IMPORTANCE THEY ATTACHED TO THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
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