Wednesday, January 24, 1973
3.
Sir Murray said it was difficult to realise how great an
influence Hong Kong had on trade because of its small size.
But in fact its visible foreign trade was 2/3 that of
Australia and 1-1/3 times bigger than that of India as well as
being the twenty-first largest trading unit in the world, he said.
Apart from visible trade, he went on, Hong Kong also
generated an extraordinary amount of business activity which did not
show in its trade figures.
Citing one example, the Governor said that in the last
decade Hong Kong residents ordered more than 20 million tons of
shipping from Japan "and by 1982 they may place orders for another
30 million tons,"
The Governor spoke optimistically about the future in view of
the normalisation of international relationships and the relaxation of
tension in the region coupled with the increase in world trade, and
invited Japanese enterprise to share in the expected growth of Hong
Kong's trade.
"But we hope also," he added, "that Hong Kong exporters will
be able to feel more confident about their possibilities in the Japanese
market, so that the friendly commerce between Hong Kong and Japan may
develop in mutual profit and harmony in the years ahead."
Note to Editors:
Copies of the full text of the Governor's speech will be available for collection in the G.1.S. press boxes this evening.
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