TUESDAY, MAY 27, 1986
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TRIP TO JAPAN POSITIVE, USEFUL SIR EDWARD
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A HONG KONG BUSINESS DELEGATION LED BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, HAD CONVEYED A NUMBER OF MESSAGES TO MEMBERS OF THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS COMMUNITY DURING
A TWO-DAY TRIP THERE.
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AT THE AIRPORT THIS (TUESDAY)
EVENING ON THEIR RETURN FROM JAPAN, SIR EDWARD SAID THE MESSAGES WERE MAINLY THAT HONG KONG WAS LOOKING FOR FURTHER LIBERALISATION IN THE NEXT STEP ROUND.
+BUT WE BELIEVE CONDITIONS ARE VERY POSITIVE FOR FURTHER INVESTMENT BY THE JAPANESE IN HONG KONG AND THAT WE HAVE SOME PRACTICAL IDEAS ON HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE INCREASE IN HONG KONG IMPORTS INTO JARAN.
SIR EDWARD ADDED THAT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY UNDER SIR S.Y. CHUNG AND THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL UNDER MISS LYDIA DUNN WOULD BE CONSULTING TOGETHER TO SEE WHAT FURTHER ACTION THEY COULD TAKE TO GIVE PRACTICAL EXPRESSION TO THE IDEAS DISCUSSED.
IN JAPAN, THE HONG KONG GROUP HAD MET A NUMBER OF GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS COMMUNITY MEMBERS INCLUDING THE PRIME MINISTER, MR NAKASONE, THE MINISTERS OF FOREIGN TRADE AND FINANCE, SOME VICE-MINISTERS AND SENIOR OFFICIALS IN OTHER JAPANESE DEPARTMENTS.
IN ADDITION, SIR EDWARD SAID THE HONG KONG-JAPAN AND JAPAN-HONG KONG BUSINESS CO-OPERATION COMMITTEES WERE MEETING.
ASKED WHETHER ANY AGREEMENT WAS REACHED ON THE INCREASE IN IMPORTS, THE GOVERNOR SAID: +WE WERE NOT AT THE STAGE OF SIGNING AGREEMENTS ON THE SUBJECT, BUT WE DID FIND QUITE A LOT OF UNDERSTANDING AND SYMPATHY FOR THE MEASURES WHICH OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY PROPOSED TO ADOPT IN ORDER TO PROMOTE HONG KONG EXPORTS TO JAPAN.+
ON THE BN(0) PASSPORT ISSUE, SIR EDWARD SAID THE HONG KONG GROUP EXPLAINED TO A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN JAPAN THE IMPORTANCE WHICH HONG KONG ATTACHED TO THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THE BN(0) PASSPORT AND THE HOPE THAT IT WOULD RECEIVE WIDE ACCEPTANCE INTERNATIONALLY.
+ I THINK THEY ARE QUITE POSITIVE ON THIS SUBJECT,+ HE SAID.
/ASKED WHEN