WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER ¤, 1995
31
THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAS RESPONDED ENTHUSIASTICALLY TO THE WAY HONG KONG INSTITUTIONS SUCH
EXCHANGE ARE FORGING
OUR
STOCK
PARTNERSHIP WITH THEIR
CHINA
NEW COUNTERPARTS.
AREAS
672 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATIONS HAVE ESTABLISHED REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS HERE IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS.
AS
OF
SOME THEIR
HALF
ON THE GOVERNMENT SIDE, MR PATTEN NOTED THAT IN THE FIRST OF THIS YEAR, SIX POLICY BRANCHES AND 38 DEPARTMENTS MADE A TOTAL OF 166 OFFICIAL VISITS TO THEIR CHINESE COUNTERPARTS. AND THE FLOW WAS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.
OVER THE SAME PERIOD, 130 GROUPS INVOLVING ALMOST 1,000 CHINESE OFFICIALS CAME TO HONG KONG.
POLICY BRANCHES AND DEPARTMENTS HAVE DEVELOPED AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF DIRECT CONTACTS WITH THEIR CHINESE COUNTERPARTS AT THE WORKING LEVEL. CONTACT WITH CHINESE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND THEIR STAFF IS AN INCREASINGLY REGULAR FEATURE OF THEIR NORMAL WORKING DAY, HE SAID.
ON BANKING SUPERVISION, MR PATTEN SAID CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE PEOPLE'S BANK AND HONG KONG'S MONETARY AUTHORITY COVERED BOTH SUPERVISION OF INSTITUTIONS AND EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION.
AS FOR INFRASTRUCTURAL PLANNING, CO-OPERATION STARTED WITH SHARED ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS, BUT THE RANGE OF CONTACTS HAD EXPANDED TO COVER WIDER PLANNING ISSUES, HE SAID.
ON CROSS-BORDER CRIME, MR PATTEN NOTED THAT CHINESE LIAISON OFFICERS HAD BEEN POSTED HERE TO WORK WITH THE HONG KONG POLICE.
AS FOR STAFF EXCHANGES, HONG KONG OFFERED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES IN A RANGE OF SKILLS, FROM REGULATION OF FINANCIAL MARKETS TO AIRPORT MANAGEMENT, HE ADDED.
APART FROM THE LINK OF BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENTS, MR PATTEN NOTED THAT AN ENORMOUS TIDE OF PEOPLE IN BOTH DIRECTIONS, HAD HELPED CREATE INCREASED CO-OPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING ON BOTH SIDES.
THE FOLLOWING PROJECTIONS FOR THIS YEAR SHOW HOW FAST THE FLOW IS GROWING:
*
CROSS-BORDER FLOWS WILL REACH A NEW PEAK, WITH NEARLY FOUR CROSS-BORDER TRIPS FOR EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD IN THE
TERRITORY.
* THE NUMBER OF MAINLAND VISITORS TO HONG KONG WILL REACH ONE
MILLION.
CENT INCREASE
THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS TO AND FROM CHINA PASSING THROUGH ΚΑΙ TAK WILL BE OVER 2.5MILLION, A 60 PER OVER FIVE YEARS, AND REPRESENTING ONE IN PASSENGERS.
SEVEN OF ALL
* ABOUT HALF OF HONG KONG EXTERNAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS
WILL BE WITH CHINA.
TRAFFIC
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