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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1992
"SECONDLY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO PUSH AHEAD WITH NEW PROJECTS THAT WILL UPGRADE OR EXPAND ALMOST EVERY AREA OF SERVICE.
"IN SHORT, THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT NAS BEEN GIVEN THE RESOURCES TO GET ON WITH ITS JOB OF IMPROVING BOTH THE QUALITY AND RANGE OF SERVICES FOR ITS CLIENTS,' SHE CONCLUDED.
FESTIVAL HK TO BOOST TIES
FESTIVAL HONG KONG 1992 TO BE HELD IN CANADA IN SEPTEMBER WOULD BUILD UP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF DIFFERENT CULTURES AND WAYS OF LIFE BETWEEN BOTH PLACES, THE DEPUTY TO THE GOVERNOR, DAVID FORD, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
SIR
THE
SPEAKING AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE PATRONS COMMITTEE FOR FESTIVAL, HE SAID THE HEADS OF BOTH GOVERNMENTS HAD AGREED TO BE HONORARY PATRONS FOR THE FESTIVAL.
THE FESTIVAL
THE BIGGEST AND MOST AMBITIOUS OVERSEAS PROMOTION HONG KONG. HAD EVER STAGED WOULD HAVE LESS IMPACT IF IT WERE JUST A GOVERNMENT EFFORT, SIR DAVID SAID.
"WE NEED THE CO-OPERATION AND PARTICIPATION OF MANY ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS OUTSIDE THE GOVERNMENT.
"RESPONSE FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR HAS BEEN HELPFUL AND IMPRESSIVE, BOTH IN TERMS OF DONATIONS AND OFFERS OF SERVICES. EXPRESSIONS OF SUPPORT AND ENTHUSIASM HAVE BEEN RECEIVED FROM ALL QUARTERS," HE SAID.
THE HONG KONG TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, THE HONG KONG TOURIST ASSOCIATION, THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE URBAN COUNCIL WERE AMONG THE FIRST TO RESPOND POSITIVELY BY OFFERING TO ORGANISE A SERIES OF EVENTS UNDER THE FESTIVAL BANNER.
SIR DAVID SAID THE FESTIVAL'S THEME BRIDGE ACROSS THE PACIFIC WAS A VERY APT ONE BECAUSE HONG KONG'S LINKS WITH CANADA DATED BACK OVER 100 YEARS WHEN CANADIAN SHIPS ARRIVED HERE TO SHARE IN THE CHINA SEA TRADE.
SINCE THEN, THE LINKS BETWEEN BOTH PLACES HAD GROWN STRONGER AND EXTENDED INTO MANY OTHER AREAS.
RECOGNISING THE NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE LINKS, SIR DAVID SAID THE GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED AN ECONOMIC AND TRADE OFFICE IN TORONTO LAST OCTOBER TO DISSEMINATE INFORMATION ABOUT HONG KONG AS WELL AS ORGANISE AND CO-ORDINATE THE GOVERNMENT'S ACTIVITIES IN CANADA.
CANADA IS HONG KONG'S NINTH LARGEST MARKET. TOTAL EXPORTS CANADA FROM JANUARY TO NOVEMBER LAST YEAR WERE $12,206 MILLION, 12 PER CENT OVER THE SAME PERIOD IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
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