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SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 1985
HONG KONG INVESTMENT ACCOUNTED FOR APPROXIMATELY 90 PER CENT OF ALL INVESTMENT COMMITTED OR SPENT IN THE SHENZHEN SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE: THERE WOULD IN THE YEARS TO COME NO DOUBT BE MANY FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE SEIZED BY HONG KONG IN THE SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES AND THE OTHER AREAS OF CHINA WHICH WERE OPENING THEIR DOORS TO OUTSIDE INVESTMENT,
AT THE OFFICIAL LEVEL, SIR JOHN SAID, THERE WERE ALREADY WELL ESTABLISHED LINKS, PARTICULARLY WITH NEIGHBOURING PROVINCES IMMEDIATELY TO THE NORTH.
+THESE ARE A REFLECTION NOT ONLY OF THE HUGE INCREASE IN THE FLOW OF GOODS AND SERVICES, BUT ALSO OF THE EQUALLY DRAMATIC INCREASES IN THE FLOW OF PEOPLE,+ HE SAID.
OVER THE 10 YEARS TO 1984, THE NUMBER OF ANNUAL PASSENGER MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE BORDER AT LO WU HAD GROWN FROM JUST OVER ONE MILLION TO OVER 12 MILLION.
THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW AND IMPROVED BORDER CROSSING POINTS, WHICH HAD NECESSITATED CLOSE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES, WAS A REFLECTION OF THIS GROWTH.
APART FROM THE IMMEDIATE CONCRETE RESULTS OF THIS CO-OPERATION IN TERMS OF NEW BRIDGES, NEW STATION BUILDINGS AND SO ON, THESE ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO MUTUAL COMPREHENSION AND A HABIT OF PRACTICAL CO-OPERATION WHICH WOULD PAY DIVIDENDS AS HONG KONG MOVED TOWARDS
1997.
HONG KONG HAD ALSO WELCOMED AN EVER-INCREASING NUMBER OF VISITORS FROM THE MAINLAND WHO COME TO STUDY OUR MODERN MANAGERIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL PRACTICE AS PART OF CHINA'S AMBITIOUS MODERNISATION PROGRAMME, HE SAID.
+AS I HAVE INDICATED, HONG KONG IS A WORLD LEADER IN THESE RESPECTS. HONG KONG'S ROLE AS A SIGNIFICANT ASSET TO CHINA CANNOT BE DIVORCED FROM HER ROLE AS A MAJOR MANUFACTURING, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL FORCE IN THE WORLD AS A WHOLE. THE ONE DEPENDS UPON THE OTHER. THIS TREND WILL NO DOUBT CONTINUE, TO OUR MUTUAL BENEFIT,+ SIR JOHN SAID.
THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID THE SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT HAD REMOVED THE QUESTION MARK OVER THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG BUT IT HAD NOT REMOVED, +NOR COULD ANY PIECE OF PAPER EVER DO SO, THE NEED FOR HONG KONG TO DEVOTE EVERY EFFORT TO MAINTAINING ITS COMPETITIVENESS IN A DIFFICULT WORLD TRADING ENVIRONMENT.
+COMPETITION FROM SOME NEWLY-INDUSTRIALISED ECONOMIES, PROTECTIONIST REFLEXES AND RECESSION IN HONG KONG'S MAJOR MARKETS POSE A CONSTANT THREAT TO THE MAINTENANCE OF EXPORT GROWTH, ON WHICH HONG KONG'S FUTURE WELL BEING DEPENDS, HE SAID.
/FOR INVESTORS