10 -
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1982
*
*
*
BOTH CHINA AND BRITAIN HAVE AGREED TO TALKS AND A JOINT COMMUNIQUE TO THIS EFFECT HAS BEEN ISSUED.
THE STATEMENTS ON SOVEREIGNTY ARE JUST STATEMENTS OF THE OPENING POSITIONS AND IT IS QUITE COMMON FOR SIDES TO BE POLES APART BEFORE NEGOTIATIONS COMMENCE. NEVERTHELESS, SOVEREIGNTY CLAIMS HAVE BEEN MADE BY CHINA FOR YEARS, BUT BEING A PEACEFUL NATION, SHE SELDOM FORCES THE ISSUE.
AS MATURE DIPLOMACY TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION THE PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES AND INTERESTS OF THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, WHY SHOULD BRITAIN, CHINA AND HONG KONG NOT BE FRIENDS AND COME TO A SENSIBLE SOLUTION WHEN BRITAIN WAS AMONG THE FIRST TO RECOGNISE CHINA AMONG WESTERN NATIONS, AND WHEN HONG KONG SUPPLIES UP TO 40 PER CENT OF CHINA'S FOREIGN EXCHANGE, AND TRANSFERS TECHNOLOGY, CAPITAL AND OTHER FACILITIES TO CHINA?
+CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG IS LIKE LIFE TO A BODY, SAID MR CHAN,
+ONE CAN HAVE A CITY THAT LOOKS LIKE HONG KONG, BUT WITHOUT CONFIDENCE THERE BE NO LIFE, JUST FIVE MILLION MORE MOUTHS TO FEED.+
MR CHAN URGED EMPLOYERS TO KEEP THEIR WORKERS AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, EVEN WHEN IT MEANS SLIM OR NO PROF IT.
HE POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG'S ECONOMY IS SENSITIVE TO THAT OF THE UNITED STATES WHICH REMAINS OUR MAJOR EXPORT MARKET.
+ IF OUR CLIENTS ARE WORRIED BY MASSIVE UNEMPLOYMENT, IT WOULD MEAN LESS ORDERS FOR OUR FACTORIES AND MORE CRACKED RICE BOWLS FOR OUR WORKERS, HE SAID.
AS FOR WORKERS, THEY SHOULD HOLD ON TO THE IR JOBS AND ASK ANYONE WHO SUGGESTS INDUSTRIAL ACTION WHERE THE NEXT JOB MAY BE FOUND IN THESE HARD TIMES.
MR CHAN SUGGESTED THAT TAI TAM BAY ON HONG KONG ISLAND SHOULD BE TURNED INTO A RESERVOIR FOR STORING WATER FROM CHINA OR FROM RAINFALL.
+ IT MAY NOT BE AN IDEAL LOCATION AT PRESENT, BUT WITH LARGE SCALE AFFORESTATION, DEVELOPMENT OF MORE WATER CATCHMENTS AND CONNECTIONS TO NEIGHBOURING RESERVOIRS TO CATCH THEIR OVERFLOW DURING TYPHOONS, IT MAY DO THE JOB. +
HE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT STONECUTTERS ISLAND SHOULD BE DEVELOPED INTO A SECOND CONTAINER TERMINAL TO COPE WITH THE HEAVY DEMAND,
+AS WE ARE NOW THE THIRD LARGEST CONTAINER PORT IN THE WORLD BY VOLUME, WE SHALL NEED MORE CONTAINER TERMINAL FACILITIES WHEN THE WORLD RECESSION IS OVER, HE NOTED.
+ IF A ROAD LINK TO KOWLOON IS PROVIDED, A SECOND CONTAINER TERMINAL THERE WOULD BE NEARER TO URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS, ON LAND AND BY SEA, THAN THE KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER TERMINAL.
+ONCE THIS IS DECIDED, I BELIEVE THE PRIVATE SECTOR WOULD BE ABLE TO SUPPLY THE SUPPORT FACILITIES QUICKLY, HE SAID.
/11