THE GATEWAY TO CHINA :
Not a cliche, but a fact.
Hong Kong, the
world's busiest container port, is the only deep-water
port on the South China coast.
Many of the more than
4 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (CEUs) which passed
through the port last year were bound to or from China.
It is estimated that between two and four
million workers in China's Guangdong Province are employed
in factories owned by Hong Kong entrepreneurs.
Because of Hong Kong's unique ties with the
China market, its port and airport, telecommunications,
banking and financial services, many international
companies choose Hong Kong as their headquarters for
business with China.
Hong Kong as a gateway to China is particularly
important to Britain.
In 1989, over 25% of all British exports to
China passed through Hong Kong.