TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1984
HONG KONG DID NOT NECESSARILY SEEK A BALANCE IN TRADE WITH JAPAN, AND HAD NO INTENTION OF REDUCING THE ESSENTIAL IMPORTS SO VITAL TO HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. BUT THE FACT THAT HONG KONG'S BILATERAL TRADE DEFICIT INCREASED FROM 767 BILLION YEN IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF LAST YEAR TO 1 024 BILLION YEN IN THE SAME PERIOD IN 1984 HIGHLIGHTED HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO INCREASE HONG KONG'S EXPORTS TO JAPAN.
HONG KONG, SIR EDWARD SAID, ACTED IN MANY RESPECTS AS A CATALYST FOR JAPAN'S RAPIDLY EXPANDING TRADING RELATIONS WITH CHINA,
LAST YEAR, IT RE-EXPORTED SOME 113 BILLION YEN WORTH OF JAPANESE PRODUCTS INTO CHINA 85 TIMES MORE THAN IT DID IN 1978. AND IN THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THIS YEAR RE-EXPORTS OF JAPANESE GOODS TO CHINA HAD REACHED 180 BILLION YEN, ALMOST 170 PER CENT MORE THAN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD LAST YEAR.
+ IN OTHER WORDS, THERE IS A NEW DIMENSION TO OUR TRADE RELATIONSHIP. INCREASINGLY, HONG KONG WILL BE VIEWED BY JAPAN NOT JUST AS A MAJOR MARKET IN ITS OWN RIGHT, BUT ALSO AS ONE OF
THIS THE CORNERSTONES OF YOUR TRADE DEVELOPMENT IN THIS REGION. COUPLED WITH THE NEED TO ADDRESS THE BILATERAL TRADE BALANCE, LEADS ME TO HOPE THAT THE WORK OF THE JAPAN-HONG KONG AND HONG KONG-JAPAN COMMITTEES WILL COMMAND EVER GREATER ATTENTION IN THE FUTURE,+ SIR EDWARD SAID.
HE WAS SURE THAT THE CLOSE ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HONG KONG AND JAPAN WOULD CONTINUE TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, HE SAID.
JOINT EFFORTS HELP TRADE LINKS WITH JAPAN *****
JOINT EFFORTS BY GROUPS FROM BOTH SIDES HAD HELPED BRING ABOUT FRUITFUL TRADE COOPERATION BETWEEN JAPAN AND HONG KONG, THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, SAID TODAY IN TOKYO.
SIR EDWARD WAS SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON HOSTED BY THE JAPANESE VICE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MR NOBUO MATSUNAGA, AT THE JIKURA KAIKAN.
THE GOVERNOR IS AMONG A GROUP OF HONG KONG BUSINESSMEN WHO ARE ON A FOUR-DAY ECONOMIC MISSION TO JAPAN,
THE HONG KONG GROUP, HE SAID, GREATLY APPRECIATED THE SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE GIVEN BY THE JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTRY AND THE CONSULATE GENERAL IN HONG KONG IN HELPING TO SET UP +AN EXCELLENT PROGRAMME FOR THE MISSION.+
/+IN PARTICULAR,