TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1977
GOVERNMENT CONTINUES ITS EFFORTS TO DIVERSIFY INDUSTRY
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THE GOVERNMENT CONTINUED ITS EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE DIVERSIFICATION OF OUR INDUSTRY AS HONG KONG REELED FROM THE SHOCK OF THE EEC TEXTILES RESTRAINT AGREEMENT, THE ACTING COMMISSIONER OF INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS, MR. ROY PORTER SAID TODAY.
MR. PORTER WHO RETURNED HERE LAST SUNDAY FROM A THREE-WEEK INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT PROMOTION MISSION TO EUROPE ALSO TOLD THE PRESS CONFERENCE THAT THERE WAS NO DIRECT CONNECTION BETWEEN HIS MISSION AND THE TEXTILES RESTRA INTS.
+ IT WAS PART OF A CONTINUING PROMOTIONAL PROGRAMME WHICH WE HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING FOR SOME YEARS AND WHICH WE ARE PLANNING TO INTENSIFY IN THE FUTURE.+
- -
HE AGREED, HOWEVER, THAT THE CUTBACK IN TEXTILES ADDED A NEW ELEMENT OF URGENCY TO THE PROGRAMME.
THE LATEST MISSION LED BY HIM VISITED GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND BRITAIN.
MR. PORTER SAID HIS MAIN PURPOSE IN GOING TO EUROPE ON THIS OCCASION WAS TO TAKE PART IN A SEMINAR ORGANISED JOINTLY BY THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT_COUNCIL, THE SWISS TRADE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS.
THE SEMINAR, WHICH WAS HELD IN ZURICH, WAS OPENED BY SWISS AMBASSADOR BETTSCHART, AND WAS ATTENDED BY SOME 70 SWISS INDUSTRIAL ISTS A REMARKABLY GOOD TURNOUT IN MR. PORTER'S VIEW.
THE HONG KONG DELEGATION TO THE SEMINAR WAS HEADED BY MR. T.K. ANN, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL. IN ADDITION TO MR. PORTER, OTHER DELEGATES INCLUDED MR. JAMES WU, MR. GEORGE BLOCH AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE TDC, MR.
LEN DUNNING.
IMPRESSED
+SWISS INDUSTRIALISTS WERE SURPRISED AND, I THINK,
I BY THE PICTURE OF A MODERN INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL SOCIETY WE PRESENTED TO THEM, + SAID MR. PORTER. I BELIEVE THE SEMINAR TO HAVE BEEN WELL WORTHWHILE, HE ADDED.
WHILE IN EUROPE MR. PORTER, ASSISTED BY MA. EDMOND CHEUNG, AN ASSISTANT TRADE OFFICER OF THE TRADE, INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT, TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT A SEMINAR TO THE STUTTGART CHAMBER OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE, WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY 30 GERMAN INDUSTRIAL ISTS.
IN ADDITION, HE VISITED 10 COMPANIES IN GERMANY, SIX IN SWITZERLAND AND SIX IN THE UK,
/HE ALSO HELD