HKB 301/1
RECEIVED IN RÉGISTRY
3 APR 1993
DOING OUR DUTY BYDSKNFECERONG
INEX
PA
REGISTRY Action Taken:
Kapp
pr. Media
ра
This is Edward's 1st draf
Jole Gru's article for Easter's Sunday Expren.
118/4
It is a year ago this weekend since the Prime Minister asked
me to be the 28th and Godwilling the last British
Governor of Hong Kong. I accepted, and have not regretted it
for a minute.
84
Hong Kong is one of the most remarkable places in the world. With no natural resources, a tiny community of just 6 million
people has turned Hong Kong into the tenth largest economy
and the world's busiest container port a ship enters or
leaves our waters every seven minutes.
Hong Kong is well-known as a hugely successful economy. But
it is more than that. Healthy economic growth nearly 6 per
cent last year, and likely to be so again this year has allowed us to spend generously on social provision. So life expectancy in Hong Kong today is higher than in the United States or Britain, and child mortality is lower.
www
It all adds up to an astonishing success story a great tribute to a unique blend of Cantonese and Shanghainese entrepreneurialism and good old British administration, underpinned by a sound rule of law. Those are perhaps two of
our most valuable exports anywhere.
And all of this on a once barren rock in the South China Sea!
Nowadays Hong Kong's importance is growing as China opens up
to the world. Hong Kong is exceptionally well positioned, at
the crossroads of Asia and at the gateway to China.
There is an economic explosion underway in Southern China the
sundayexpress.art JM PERS
1