CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN 1997
December
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The 1998 Index of Economic Freedom compiled by the American Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal rates Hong Kong's economy the freest in the world for the fourth consecutive year. The presidium of the NPC Election Conference announces the 72 candidates nominated for election as HK deputies to the national body. The government says most secondary schools shall adopt Chinese as the teaching medium for all academic subjects from the 1998-99 Secondary 1 intake. The Director of Education has been advised that 100 of the 124 applications to use English as the medium of instruction meet the requirements.
The first meeting of the Joint Liaison Group since the Handover is held in Beijing to discuss issues including the Vietnamese boat people in HK and the human rights report to be submitted to the United Nations. The Fire Services Department and other government agencies clean up after drums of sodium cyanide fall off a truck on Tai Po Road, posing potentially a major health hazard. The cleanup is resumed on subsequent days and legislation concerning carriage of dangerous goods is reviewed.
The Chief Executive takes part in the kick-off ceremony for the voter registration drive week during which over 30 000 'ambassadors' will visit two million households to call on people to register as voters. Thirty-six local National People's Congress deputies, including the Xinhua News Agency HK director, Mr Jiang Enzhu, are elected following a pre-selection on December 6.
The Housing Authority announces details of the sale of public housing under the Tenant Purchase Scheme. The prices vary from around $150,000 to $250,000 for a unit of some 400 square feet.
The Chief Executive leaves for Beijing for a three-day duty visit, his first since the establishment of the HKSAR. During the visit, Mr Tung meets President Jiang Zemin, and Vice-Premiers Qian Qichen and Zhu Rongji, to report developments in HK.
The SARG announces that Government House will be opened to the public four times a year. The first open day will be held in spring for the public to admire the azalea plants.
The Executive Council agrees in principle to the construction of the alignment for the Ma On Shan to Tai Wai rail link and extension of the Kowloon-Canton Railway from Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Tsui. They will form one of the three high priority projects recommended in the Railway Development Strategy.
The Chief Executive announces that the HKSAR will set up an office in Beijing in the first quarter of 1998.
Hong Kong is chosen as one of 31 sites around the world to host global celebrations ringing in the last year of the millennium as the year 2000 dawns across the globe's time zones.
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