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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1987
THE REPORT CONTAINS THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY CONDUCTED IN 1987 IN RESPECT OF INVESTMENTS IN 1986.
A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT POINTED OUT THAT THE COVERAGE OF ESTABLISHMENTS WITH OVERSEAS INTERESTS WAS PROBABLY NOT COMPLETE, THOUGH EVERY ESTABLISHMENT IN HONG KONG KNOWN OR THOUGHT ΤΟ CONTAIN AN OVERSEAS INTEREST WAS CONTACTED IN THE SURVEY.
WHILE 541 FACTORIES WITH AN OVERSEAS INTEREST COMPLETED AND RETURNED THE DEPARTMENT'S QUESTIONNAIRE, 32 ESTABLISHMENTS DID NOT CO-OPERATE IN THE SURVEY AND SOME OF THESE ESTABLISHMENTS MIGHT CONTAIN AN OVERSEAS INTEREST. THE DISCREPANCY, HOWEVER, WAS UNLIKELY TO BE SIGNIFICANT. THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, THE UNITED STATES CONTINUED IN ITS POSITION AS THE TOP OVERSEAS INVESTOR IN HONG KONG MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES WITH A CUMULATIVE INVESTMENT OF $8,053 MILLION (41.2 PER CENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENT) IN 163 MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS EMPLOYING 38,276 WORKERS.
JAPAN REMAINED THE SECOND LARGEST FOREIGN INVESTOR WITH $4,009 MILLION (20.5 PER CENT) INVESTED IN 134 MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS EMPLOYING 22,635 WORKERS.
CHINA CAME THIRD WITH ITS STAKE OF $2,981 MILLION (15.2 PER CENT) IN 36 MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS EMPLOYING 7,272 WORKERS.
THE UNITED KINGDOM, IN FOURTH PLACE, ACCOUNTED FOR $1,082 MILLION (5.5 PER CENT) WORTH OF INVESTMENT AND WAS PROVIDING JOBS FOR
13,401 WORKERS IN 55 MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS.
MEASURED BY INCREASES IN THE SIZE OF FIXED ASSETS, THE SURVEY SHOWED THAT THE ELECTRONICS, NON-METALLIC MINERAL PRODUCTS AND TEXTILES AND CLOTHING INDUSTRIES RECORDED THE HIGHEST RATES OF OVERSEAS INVESTMENT.
THE SURVEY ALSO FOUND THAT OF THE 541 ESTABLISHMENTS SURVEYED, 288 WERE WHOLLY OWNED BY OVERSEAS INTERESTS. THE REMAINING 253 ESTABLISHMENTS WERE JOINT VENTURES BETWEEN LOCAL AND OVERSEAS INTERESTS.
"WITH THE PRINCIPAL AIM OF THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT'S INWARD INVESTMENT PROMOTION PROGRAMME TO ENCOURAGE OVERSEAS MANUFACTURERS TO INTRODUCE TO HONG KONG, THROUGH THEIR INVESTMENTS, NEW AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS, DESIGNS, PROCESSES AND MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES, THE 253 ESTABLISHMENTS WITH LOCAL INTERESTS IN A FORM OF CO-OPERATION WILL PROVIDE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER," MR YEUNG SAID.
/THE SURVET