TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 1993
"HONG KONG IS INTERESTED IN REGIONAL ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION, BUT WE ARE ONLY WILLING TO CONSIDER ANY OF THESE PROPOSALS IF THEY ARE GATT-CONSISTENT, OUTWARD-LOOKING AND LIBERAL."
"GENRALLY SPEAKING, WE FEEL THAT THE BEST APPROACH TO WORLD TRADE IS AN OPEN, TRANSPARENT AND MULTILATERAL REGIME. WHAT HONG KONG WANTS OUT OF THE APEC MINISTERIAL IN NOVEMBER THIS YEAR IS A RINGING ENDORSEMENT OF THE GATT SYSTEM AND A RENEWED COMMITMENT TO COMPLETING THE URUGUAY ROUND THIS YEAR, HE SAID.
THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL NOTED THAT APEC WAS AN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL FORUM INITIATED IN AUSTRALIA IN 1989, AND THAT IT ACTED AS A FORUM FOR POLICY CO-ORDINATION AND EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION.
IT NOW COMPRISES 15 MEMBERS: AUSTRALIA, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, CANADA, CHINA, CHINESE TAIPEI, HONG KONG, INDONESIA, JAPAN, MALAYSIA, NEW ZEALAND, THE PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE, SOUTH KOREA, THAILAND AND THE U.S.
HONG KONG TOOK AN ACTIVE PART IN APEC ACTIVITIES, HE SAID.
APART FROM THE INVOLVEMENT OF DR VICTOR FUNG IN THE EMINENT PERSONS GROUP AND THE SECONDMENT OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER TO THE APEC SECRETARIAT IN SINGAPORE, HONG KONG CONTRIBUTES TO THE APEC PROCESS BY PARTICIPATING IN THE VARIOUS APEC WORKING GROUPS AND ATTENDING THE SENIOR OFFICIALS' MEETINGS AND MINISTERIAL MEETINGS.
TO SUSTAIN THE WORK PROGRAMME IN APEC, HONG KONG CONTRIBUTED 2.75 PER CENT OF THE 1993 APEC BUDGET ACCORDING TO A FUNDING FORMULA AGREED AT THE APEC IV MINISTERIAL MEETING IN BANGKOK LAST YEAR.
MR MILLER WILL BE ATTENDING A MEETING OF APEC SENIOR OFFICAL REPRESENTATIVES IN SEATTLE NEXT WEEK.
0
CONSUMER PRICE INDICES FOR MAY
THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) IN MAY ROSE BY 8.5% OVER THE SAME MONTH LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT,
THE HIGHER PRICES OF FRESH VEGETABLES FEATURE IN THE MAY
FIGURES.
COMMENTING ON THE LATEST FIGURES, THE GOVERNMENT ECONOMIST, MR K Y TANG SAID:
/"ALTHOUGH THIS