MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1984
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VITAL ROLE OF COMPUTERS IN HK STRESSED
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THE USE AND THE MANUFACTURE OF COMPUTERS WERE CRUCIAL TO HONG KONG REMAINING A MAJOR FINANCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND TRADING CENTRE, THE SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MR ERIC HO, SAID TODAY.
SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE 1984 SOUTHEAST ASIA REGIONAL COMPUTER CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION AT THE CITY HALL CONCERT HALL THIS MORNING, MR HO SAID MAJOR COMPUTER INSTALLATIONS HAD BEEN GROWING IN HONG KONG BY AN AVERAGE OF 30 PER CENT OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS - WITH COMPUTER INVESTMENT EXCEEDING $1 BILLION LAST YEAR, AS AGAINST $200 MILLION IN 1979.
BESIDES COMMERCIAL APPLICATION, COMPUTERS WERE ALSO AN IMPORTANT PART OF HONG KONG'S INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY, HE SAID.
THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY, WHICH INCLUDES THE MANUFACTURE OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT AND COMPONENTS, IS THE SECOND MAJOR HONG KONG EXPORT EARNER, AFTER TEXTILES AND GARMENTS, AND PROVIDES JOBS FOR 100 000 PEOPLE.
IT WAS A MAJOR SUPPLIER OF HIGH QUALITY COMPONENTS AND PERIPHERAL EQUIPMENT FOR THE WORLD'S LEADING COMPUTER MANUFACTURERS, MR HO SAID.
+WE ARE PLEASED TO SEE THAT MANY OF THEM HAVE CHOSEN TO SET UP THEIR OWN MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS HERE, HE ADDED.
MR HO SAID THAT HONG KONG'S FINANCIAL AND BANKING SECTOR, AS A MAJOR USER OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, HAD THE +HIGHEST DENSITY OF AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINES IN THE WORLD.+
+OUR EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION SERVICES ARE BACKED BY LARGE AND ADVANCED COMPUTER NETWORKS. WITHIN THE PUBLIC SERVICE, OVER 90 PER CENT OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS ARE USING COMPUTERS, WITH APPLICATIONS RANGING FROM THE PRODUCTION OF A NEW AND MORE SECURE IDENTITY CARD TO THE PREVENTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION.
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WHICH WILL BE +THE NEW UNIFIED HONG KONG STOCK EXCHANGE OPENING NEXT YEAR, WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED COMPUTER SYSTEM TO HANDLE ALL THE IR TRANSACTIONS.
+ IN SHORT, COMPUTERS ARE CRUCIAL TO HONG KONG REMAINING A MAJOR FINANCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND TRADING CENTRE, HE SAID.
HONG KONG, MR HO SAID, WAS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE GROWTH IN SOUTHEAST ASIA'S INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, WHICH HAD BEEN ACCOMPANIED BY AN INCREASING USE OF COMPUTERS,
THERE WAS