WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 1987
9
CALL FOR MORE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS
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HONG KONG'S IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES, OTHER THAN TEXTILES AND GARMENTS, WERE LAGGING FAR BEHIND NEIGHBOURING COMPETITORS OWING TO INSUFFICIENT RESOURCES AND EFFORTS DEVOTED TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, THE HON WONG PO-YAN SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL DURING THE BUDGET DEBATE, MR WONG SAID THAT OUR EFFORTS AND INVESTMENTS IN THESE ACTIVITIES WERE INADEQUATE.
HE SAID IT WAS NOT SUFFICIENT IF WE WERE TO RELY ON THE GOVERNMENT ALONE TO FUND AND PUSH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES AND TO AWAIT THE OUTCOME OF THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THEIR RESULTS IN THE INDUSTRIES.
HE CALLED ON INDUSTRIALISTS TO TAKE THE INITIATIVE IN AND COLLABORATE WITH THE GOVERNMENT TO ACHIEVE A BETTER RESULT.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WOULD HELP IN THIS ASPECT, BUT MR WONG SAID SOME SPECIAL EFFORT WAS NEEDED IMMEDIATELY.
IT MIGHT BE NECESSARY TO RECONSIDER THE SUGGESTION OF CHARGING CERTAIN INDUSTRIES A LEVY FOR THIS PURPOSE, HE SAID.
FURTHERMORE, IN ORDER TO QUICKEN THE PACE, PERHAPS CERTAIN TECHNOLOGIES IN CHINA COULD BE EMPLOYED TO UPGRADE LOCAL INDUSTRIES
IF APPROPRIATE ARRANGEMENTS COULD BE MADE, MR WONG SAID.
HE WARNED IF WE DID NOT DEVELOP HIGH TECHNOLOGY FOR OUR PRODUCTIONS IN TIME, WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO CREATE ENOUGH JOBS FOR OUR BETTER EDUCATED AND BETTER TRAINED WORKERS.
+THE END RESULT IS THAT THE WAGES OF OUR LABOUR FORCE WOULD BE TOO HIGH TO ENABLE US TO TAKE ON LABOUR-INTENSIVE JOBS,
+THIS WILL BE A REAL PROBLEM OF THE FUTURE IF WE FAIL TO START SYSTEMATICALLY AND ACTIVELY MAPPING OUT A PLAN TO DEVELOP OUR INDUSTRY AND ITS WORK FORCE TO ADOPT HIGH TECHNOLOGY, HE SAID.
ON ECONOMIC MATTERS, MR WONG SAID HE WAS GENERALLY CONVINCED OF THE RESILIENCE OF OUR ECONOMY, AND REMAINED OPTIMISTIC OF OUR ECONOMIC GROWTH EVEN THOUGH WE HAD HAD DIFFERENT PROBLEMS AT DIFFERENT TIMES.
HOWEVER, HE SAID HE COULD SEE THE PROBLEMS IN THE LONG RUN AND AGAINST THEM HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE ACTIVE MEASURES TAKEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH THEM BEFORE THEY ASSUMED A PROPORTION LARGER THAN WE COULD HANDLE.
/HE ALSO ...........