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are free to exploit to the full the indirect
advantages created by the
dependent status.
territory's
28.
It is hard to put a cash value on these UK links.
However, some idea of the scope of business involved is
shown by the fact that members of the UK Association of
Consulting Engineers (including its Hong Kong members) were
entrusted with contracts in Hong Kong to the value of L6.6
billion in 1988.
29.
institutions
Hong Kong executives, for their part, admit to a
sense of comfort in dealing with UK firms. Many large
in the territory, traditionally, have preferred
to place their orders with UK suppliers, other things being
equal. Among the major examples of this preference have
been China Light and Power (CLP), the Kowloon-Canton Railway
(KCR), the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) and various government
organisations, such as the Housing Department (HD).
30.
A strongly held view in Hong Kong is that UK
companies have failed to use this advantage to its full
potential. For example, HD made considerable efforts during
the early 1980s to encourage UK contractors and engineers to
expand their
in the territory, but with little
operations
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