THURSDAY, MAY 16, 1985
FOR EXAMPLE, WE WOULD HAVE TO PROVIDE BETTER SERVICES IN THE HONG KONG PRODUCTIVITY CENTRE AND A LIBRARY IN WHICH MANUFACTURERS COULD COME AND LOOK AT STANDARDS. IF THEY HAD ANY PROBLEMS, IT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO ASSIST TECHNICALLY TO HELP THEM UNDERSTAND INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS.
HOWEVER, MR YAXLEY STRESSED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO CHANGE IN THE GOVERNMENT'S POLICY OF NON-INTERVENTION.
+ IT WILL BE A DISASTER IF THE GOVERNMENT WERE TO GET INTO THE BUSINESS OF INTERFERING WITH MANAGEMENT DECISIONS, + HE SAID.
ON RELATIONS WITH CHINA, MR YAXLEY SAID THIS WAS SYMBIOTIC AND CO-OPERATIVE, PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.
ON OVERSEAS INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG, HE SAID A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT LAST YEAR SHOWED THAT THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF OVERSEAS INVESTMENT WAS $11 448 MILLION -- AN INCREASE OF 63 PER CENT SINCE 1981. A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE INCREASE WAS DUE TO EXISTING ESTABLISHMENTS EXPANDING THE IR OPERATIONS.
WHILE THE AVERAGE SIZE OF FACTORIES IN TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT DECREASED SLIGHTLY FROM 230 TO 200 WORKERS, THE AVERAGE INVESTMENT PER WORKER INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM $89 000 TO $159 000. THIS IMPLIED THAT ESTABLISHMENTS WITH OVERSEAS INTERESTS HAD BECOME MORE CAPITAL INTENSIVE AND MOVED TOWARDS AUTOMATION, HE SAID.
REGARDING THE CURRENT STATE OF PLAY ON NEW COMPANIES COMING TO HONG KONG, MR YAXLEY SAID THAT WE HAD 53 COMPLETED PROJECTS COVERING A WIDE VARIETY. THESE PROJECTS HAD BEEN COMPLETED SINCE JANUARY 1, 1983 AND HAD ALREADY COME INTO PRODUCTION.
FIVE FROM THE IN ADDITION, WE HAD 17 COMMITTED PROJECTS UNITED STATES, TWO FROM GERMANY, TWO FROM AUSTRALIA AND THE REST FROM A VARIETY OF OTHER SOURCES. THESE COMPANIES HAD ALREADY TAKEN THE DECISION TO GO AHEAD WITH THEIR PROJECTS IN HONG KONG,
MR YAXLEY ADDED THAT THERE WERE ALSO A FURTHER 26 PROMISING PROJECTS OF WHICH 10 CAME FROM THE UNITED STATES. THESE INCLUDE A LAMINATES PLANT, AND MANUFACTURERS OF CEMENT ADDITIVES, DISC DRIVES, SEMI-CONDUCTORS, OFFSET PRINTING, WORD PROCESSORS, VINYL FLOOR COVERING AND EVEN JAPANESE CAKES.
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