MONDAY, MARCE J, 1984
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REVIEWING THE PROGRESS OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, SIR EDWARD SAID: THE GOVERNMENT, THROUGH THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT, RESPONDED PROMPTLY TO THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATIONS BY SETTING UP IN 1982 FOUR OVERSEAS INDUSTRIAL PROMOTION OFFICES: IN LONDON, TOKYO, SAN FRANCISCO AND STUTTGART. THESE OFFICES HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD TO ENCOURAGE OVERSEAS BUSINESSMEN TO SET UP MANUFACTURING FACILITIES IN HONG KONG, OR TO ENTER INTO LICENSING OR JOINT VENTURE ARRANGEMENTS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSMEN TO MANUFACTURE THEIR PRODUCTS HERE.
+JUDGING FROM THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN MANUFACTURERS WHO HAVE BEEN ATTRACTED TO HONG KONG OR WHO HAVE EXPANDED THE IR OPERATIONS, THIS INITIATIVE HAS PAID GOOD DIVIDENDS, HE SAID,
THESE OVERSEAS OFFICES ARE BACKED UP BY THE ONE-STOP
UNIT IN THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT, WHICH PROVIDES A FOCAL POINT WHERE ALL QUERIES FROM BOTH OVERSEAS AND LOCAL BUSINESSMEN ON INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES CAN BE ANSWERED. IN 1983, THE UNIT HANDLED SOME 500 QUERIES, WHICH INDICATES THE ENCOURAGING LEVEL OF INTEREST IN WHAT HONG KONG HAS TO OFFER.
+THESE PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES ARE AIMED NOT ONLY AT ATTRACTING NEW INVESTMENT FOR ITS OWN SAKE: THEY ALSO SEEK TO BROADEN OUR INDUSTRIAL BASE BY ATTRACTING TO HONG KONG NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND IMPROVED TECHNIQUES, HE ADDED.
SIR EDWARD SAID OTHER PERCEPTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE COMMITTEE TO IMPROVE SUPPORT AND TECHNICAL BACK-UP SERVICES TO INDUSTRY INCLUDED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A STANDARD AND CALIBRATION LABORATORY, WHICH WILL START OPERATIONS THIS SUMMER, AND THE LABORATORY ACCREDITATION SCHEME, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO ACCREDIT ITS FIRST LABORATORIES LATER THIS YEAR.
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A MORE DIRECT FORM OF SUPPORT HAS ALSO BEEN GIVEN, THROUGH THE WORK OF THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE. TO TECHNICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WORK, THE TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY, AND THE DISSEMINATION OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION. THE CENTRE'S MICRO-PROCESSOR LABORATORY HAS DEVELOPED A NUMBER OF SYSTEMS- BEING USED SUCCESSFULLY IN MANUFACTURING PROCESSES.
IN LINE WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE RESEARCH PROJECTS RELATED TO ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING PROCESSES AND COMPUTER DEVELOPMENT TECHNIQUES WERE BEING CARRIED OUT IN THE TWO UNIVERSITIES AND THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC. THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE HAD ALSO ORGANISED STUDIES OF THE METAL AND LIGHT ENGINEERING INDUSTRY AND OF THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY.
+THE RESULTS OF ALL THESE STUDIES ARE NOW BEING EXAMINED, ALONG WITH THE FINDINGS OF A TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER STUDY AND OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS AIMED AT MAKING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO OUR MANUFACTURERS, SO THAT THEY CAN BRANCH OUT INTO THE PRODUCTION OF A WIDER RANGE OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY GOODS, + HE SAID.
/+ THE PURPOSE