1
MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 1981
HK IS AN ECONOMIC PHENOMENON SIR MURRAY
*****
HONG KONG IS AN ECONOMIC PHENOMENON WHOSE +DEFIANT SUCCESS+ CONTINUES TO PROVIDE A MODEL FOR THE DEBATE OF THEORETICIANS, THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, SAID TODAY.
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF HOLLAND EXPO 1981+, A FLOATING EXHIBITION ORGANISED BY THE NETHERLANDS COUNCIL FOR TRADE PROMOTION, SIR MURRAY STRESSED THAT OUR SUCCESS IS NO CONJURING TRICK+.
IT HAS NOT BEEN DONE WITH MIRRORS, HE EXPLAINED, BUT BY HARD WORK, REALISM, STRONG MARKETING OF THE PRODUCTS OF AN EFFICIENT INDUSTRY, A SUPERB NATURAL HABOUR WITH THE FASTEST TURN-AROUND IN ASIA, AND A STRONG FINANCIAL SECTOR.
+WE LEVY NO PROTECTIONIST TARIFFS ON IMPORTS, AND MAINTAIN NO OTHER CONTROLS ON TRADE THAN THOSE THAT INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS OR CONSIDERATIONS OF HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY REQUIRE.+
ADDRESSING THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN TRADE OF THE NETHERLANDS, H.E. DR K.H. BEYEN= THE CONSUL-GENERAL IN HONG KONG, MR C.S. VAN STRATEN, AND TRADERS AND INDUSTRIALISTS AT THE OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION, SIR MURRAY SAID COMMERCIAL LINKS BETWEEN THE NETHERLANDS AND HONG KONG WERE ALREADY STRONG.
+TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT ARE SUBSTANTIAL AND SHIPPING AND BANKING FIRMLY ESTABLISHED, BUT THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR EXPANSION, + SIR MURRAY SAID.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH:-
+SECRETARY OF STATE, CONSUL-GENERAL, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
+1 AM HONOURED TO OPEN THIS EXHIBITION BY THE NETHERLANDS COUNCIL FOR TRADE PROMOTION.
+SIR Y.K. KAN, CHAIRMAN OF OUR OWN TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, HAS TOLD ME HOW WARMLY HE WAS RECEIVED BY YOU IN THE HAGUE AND HOW IMPRESSED HE WAS BY YOUR KEEN APPRECIATION OF THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPANDING TRADE WITH HONG KONG.
+YOU HAVE COME TO SELL AND TO CONSIDER INVESTMENT- YOU ARE JUST AS WELCOME AS IF YOU HAD COME TO BUY. WE LONG AGO DISCOVERED THAT THE BEST SORT OF TRADE IS TWO-WAY.
+YOU ARE NO STRANGERS IN HONG KONG, YOUR ARRIVAL IN THIS FLOATING EXHIBITION SEIZES THE IMAGINATION, AND WE WISH YOU EVERY SUCCESS.
/+FOR ECMS