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MDHIAN 4248
MORE DEPARTMENTS DEVELOP WORKING LEVEL CONTACTS WITH THEIR CHINESE COUNTERPARTS.
25. BOTH THE QUALITY AND THE QUANTITY OF OUR WORKING CONTACTS WITH CHINA ARE ALREADY CHANGING FOR THE BETTER. SO FAR THIS YEAR, ALMOST 100 GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS FROM HONG KONG HAVE VISITED CHINA, ON A WIDE RANGE OF OFFICIAL BUSINESS. OVER 60 HAVE COME IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. WE HAVE RECEIVED A NUMBER OF SENIOR CHINESE VISITORS, INCLUDING MR JI PENGFEI AND MR LU PING, THE MINISTERS OF FINANCE AND ENERGY, AND THE GOVERNORS OF THE PROVINCES OF HUBEI AND JIANGSU. THIS TREND WILL CONTINUE.
26. IT IS NOT JUST THESE HIGH LEVEL VISITS THAT MATTER. IT IS CONTACT ACROSS THE BOARD NATURAL CONTACTS WITH OUR NEIGHBOUR. DURING THIS YEAR SOME (FIGURES TO BE GIVEN LATER) PEOPLE HAVE COME TO HONG KONG FROM CHINA ON VISITS OF VARIOUS SORTS. (FIGURES TO BE GIVEN LATER) MILLION PEOPLE, FROM HERE AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, HAVE CROSSED OUR BORDER INTO CHINA. ALL THESE FIGURES SHOW THAT A VAST NETWORK OF PERSONAL CONTACTS ALREADY EXISTS
BETWEEN THIS TERRITORY AND THE MAINLAND OF CHINA. IT WILL
CONTINUE TO GROW.
27. IN ADDITION TO THESE HUMAN CONTACTS, OUR BILATERAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT RELATIONS ARE ALREADY EXTENSIVE. OVER THE PAST DECADE, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAS SEEN THE NEW OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED BY ECONOMIC REFORM TIN CHINA. HONG KONG INVESTMENT IN NEW MANUFACTURING AND PROCESSING CAPACITY IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE AND ELSEWHERE IN CHINA HAS HELPED SUSTAIN OUR OWN ECONOMIC GROWTH. AT THE SAME TIME IT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO SOUTHERN CHINA'S OVERALL DEVELOPMENT. AS MANY AS THREE MILLION WORKERS IN GUANGDONG ARE
EMPLOYED BY HONG KONG FACTORIES: FOUR TIMES HONG KONG'S OWN MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE. OVER 80 PERCENT OF THE EXTERNAL
INVESTMENT IN GUANGDONG COMES FROM HONG KONG. WE SHOULD NOT
FORGET THAT GUANGDONG PROVINCE ALONE HAS A POPULATION THE SAME AS THAT OF FRANCE. THERE REMAINS ENORMOUS POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER GROWTH IN THE COMING YEARS. INDEED, I SEE THE SOUTHER AREA OF CHINA AS POTENTIALLY ONE OF ASIA'S MOST SIGNIFICANT CENTRES OF
ECONOMIC GROWTH OVER THE NEXT FEW DECADES.
28. ACHIEVING THE SMOOTH AND SUCCESSFUL TRANSFER TO SOVEREIGNTY IN 1997 IS A GOAL WORTH EVERY OUNCE OF OUR ABILITY AND EFFORT. MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL WILL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN THIS PROCESS AS THEY WILL IN OTHER AREAS OF GOVERNMENT. IT WILL NT BE AN EASY TASK. BUT MEETING THIS CHALLENGE IS PERHAPS OUR GREATEST
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