TUESDAY, JULY 12, 1977
GERMAN INDUSTRIAL ISTS INTERESTED IN HONG KONG
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GERMAN INDUSTRIALISTS ARE VERY INTERESTED IN SETTING UP FACTOR IES IN HONG KONG, ACCORDING TO THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, MR. ROY PORTER.
MR. PORTER HAS JUST RETURNED FROM A THREE-WEEK INDUSTRIAL PROMOTION TRIP TO EUROPE, MOST OF WHICH WAS SPENT IN GERMANY.
HE REPORTED THAT NEARLY HALF OF THE 40 FIRMS HE VISITED +EXPRESSED IMMEDIATE INTEREST IN SETTING UP MANUFACTURING PLANTS HERE.+
A FURTHER 50 PER CENT WERE INTERESTED IN HAVING COMPONENTS MANUFACTURED HERE BY HONG KONG COMPANIES AND SOME OF THE REMAINING 10 PER CENT, WHO WERE NOT READY TO CONSIDER ANY MANUFACTURING IN HONG KONG AT PRESENT, HAD LONG-TERM PLANS WHICH MR. PORTER DESCRIBED AS OF GREAT INTEREST TO HONG KONG+.
MR. PORTER, WHO VISITED GERMANY EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO, SAID HE FOUND GERMAN INDUSTRIALISTS MUCH MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT HONG KONG THIS TIME, AND THERE WAS CLEARLY MORE READY INTEREST.
+THEY ARE FINDING OUT, HE SAID, THAT IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO COMPETE IN SOME OF THE IR EXPORT MARKETS AND THAT THERE IS A NEED TO SET UP OFF-SHORE PLANTS.+
HE ADDED:+THERE IS A VERY APPARENT NEW INTEREST AMONG EUROPEAN INDUSTRIALISTS IN THE ASIAN MARKET. IN THIS RESPECT, HONG KONG IS AN IDEAL BASE FOR THEM. +
MR. PORTER SAID A LOT OF HARD WORK AND FOLLOW-UP WORK HAD GONE INTO THE LATEST TRIP. IT IS NOW UP TO US TO SUSTAIN THIS INTEREST AND TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE RIGHT ARRANGEMENTS FOR THEM WHEN THEY COME HERE, HE SAID.
HE POINTED OUT THAT MANY OF THE INDUSTRIALISTS ARE SEEKING HONG KONG PARTNERS OR COMPANIES TO MANUFACTURE FOR THEM. HE URGED LOCAL INDUSTRIALISTS TO CONTACT HIM FOR FULL DETAILS OF THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE.
THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR MENTIONED A FEW OF THE PRODUCTS WHICH THESE OVERSEAS INDUSTRIALISTS HAVE INDICATED THEY WOULD LIKE TO PRODUCE HERE. THEY INCLUDE INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT, ELECTRIC TOOLS, ELECTRIC SWITCHES, MEASURING INSTRUMENTS, PRINTING MACHINES, DICTATING MACHINES, INDUSTRIAL VALVES, ELECTRICAL CABLES AND TEXTILE MACHINERY.
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