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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1991
IMPORTANCE OF PORT DEVELOPMENT STRESSED: SPEL
HONG KONG'S STRONG TRADE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA AND THE CONTINUED GROWTH IN ITS ECONOMY ARE VERY MUCH DEPENDENT ON THE PROVISION OF SUFFICIENT AND EFFICIENT PORT FACILITIES.
THIS WAS STATED BY THE SECRETARY FOR PLANNING, ENVIRONMENT AND LANDS, THE HON. GRAHAM BARNES, AT THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY} IN RESPONSE то CONCERNS EXPRESSED BY SOME MEMBERS ON THE SUBJECT OF PORT DEVELOPMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF HONG KONG'S POSITION IN THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF CHINA AND THE PEARL RIVER DELTA.
MR BARNES NOTED THAT IN THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, IT HAD RECOGNISED THAT THE INDUSTRIAL PICTURE IN SOUTH CHINA AND THE PEARL RIVER DELTA HAD CHANGED DRAMATICALLY, NOT LEAST BECAUSE OF THE MASSIVE INVESTMENT BY HONG KONG ENTREPRENEURS IN THESE AREAS.
"OUR PORT DEVELOPMENT POLICY IS A POSITIVE RECOGNISED THAT THE PORT HAD RETURNED TO ITS NATURAL SERVING THE WHOLE OF SOUTH CHINA AFTER MANY YEARS OF SERVICE TO OUR OWN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY," HE SAID.
POLICY WHICH FUNCTION OF MORE LIMITED
HE POINTED OUT THAT THE PORT AND AIRPORT STRATEGY WAS PRODUCED AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF EXCEPTIONAL AND SPECTACULAR INCREASES IN THROUGHPUT GROWTH RATES, WHICH RESULTED IN HONG KONG HAVING TO ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME DURING THE COURSE OF ITS PREPARATION.
HE SAID MORE RECENT STATISTICS SHOWED BOTH CHANGING PATTERNS IN THE CONTAINER TRADE, AS BVER GREATER QUANTITIES OF GOODS WERE BEING BROUGHT ΤΟ THE PORT IN FULL CONTAINERS RATHER THAN BREAK-BULK, AND GENERALLY A VERY SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE OVER ALL.
THERE HAS BEEN AN OVERALL INCREASE OF 14.27 PER CENT IN THROUGHPUT IN THE PORT AND OF 15.50 PER CENT THROUGH THE CONTAINER TERMINALS BETWEEN 1989 AND LAST YEAR.
THE GOVERNMENT
HE NOTED THAT THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME OF WOULD PROVIDE IN THE SHORTER TERM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO NEW FOUR- BERTH CONTAINER TERMINALS CONTAINER TERMINAL 8 (CTB) AT STONECUTTERS ISLAND; AND TERMINAL 9, PROBABLY AT TSING YI.
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THE FIRST BERTH OF CT8 IS EXPECTED TO BE IN OPERATION BY THE END OF 1993 AND WHOSE OPERATORS WILL INCLUDE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, SIGNIFICANT PARTICIPATION PROM CHINESE INTERESTS, "REFLECTING THE INCREASING VOLUME OF CHINESE CARGOES USING HONG KONG'S PORT".
MR BARNES ALSO POINTED OUT THAT BY THE END OF 1995, HONG KONG WOULD NEED TO HAVE THE FIRST BERTH OF TERMINAL 9 READY IF CARGO CONTINUED TO GROW AT ITS PRESENT AND FORECAST RATE.
HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT WAS ALREADY WELL ADVANCED ON THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY STUDIES AND WAS EXAMINING THE MOST EFFECTIVE LAYOUT OF THE TERMINAL AND ITS ADJACENT AREA.
/ON DEVELOPMENT