THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1994
MR
LAU WONG-FAT (THROUGH INTERPRETER): MR PRESIDENT, IN RECENT YEARS WE HAVE MORE AND MORE FREIGHT MOVEMENT ACROSS THE BORDER. NOW, WE HAVE LAND TRANSPORT LINKS BUT WE KNOW THAT OUR CROSS-BORDER CONTROL POINTS ARE VERY BUSY. I WONDER WHETHER THE ADMINISTRATION HAS CONSIDERED HAVING A MEETING WITH THE SHENZHEN AUTHORITIES TO SEE WHETHER THE FOURTH LINK, OR FOURTH CONTROL POINT, CAN BE OPENED ΤΟ COPE WITH FUTURE DEMAND IN THIS REGARD?
AND
GOVERNOR: I THINK THERE ARE TWO ISSUES THAT ARISE FROM THAT QUESTION. THE FIRST IS THE HOURS AT WHICH EXISTING CROSSING POINTS ARE OPEN THE SECOND IS WHETHER WE SHOULD IMPROVE LINKS AND TRANSPORT LINKS BETWEEN THE MAINLAND AND HONG KONG, AND PERHAPS I CAN DEAL WITH THOSE IN THAT ORDER.
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FIRST OF ALL, AS I AM SURE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL KNOW,
WE HAVE PROPOSED TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES A TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR OPENING AT ONE OF THE CROSSINGS, A TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR OPENING WITH AT LEAST A COUPLE OF KIOSKS OPEN RIGHT THROUGH THE NIGHT. WE THINK THAT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL AND WOULD HELP TO SMOOTH OUT SOME OF THE PEAKS IN DEMAND AT THE MOMENT AND DEAL WITH SOME OF THE REAL TRANSPORT BLOCKAGES THAT EXIST. THE CHINESE HAVE NOT ACCEPTED THE PROPOSAL FOR TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR OPENING AT LOK MA CHAU. THEY HAVE SAID THAT THERE ARE RESOURCE PROBLEMS ON THEIR SIDE BUT THEY HAVE OFFERED TO AECONSIDER THE ISSUE AT THE END OF THIS YEAR. I THINK THE COUNCIL SHOULD RECOGNISE THAT THE RESOURCE PROBLEMS ARE MORE CONSIDERABLE FOR THEM BECAUSE OF THE PARTICULAR SIGNIFICANCE OF SHENZHEN AND BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMS POINTS THEY HAVE AROUND THEIR BORDER. BUT I DO HOPE THAT WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS ON THAT ISSUE, AN ISSUE WHICH HAS BEEN RAISED ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS WITH THE PRC AUTHORITIES BY GROUPS REPRESENTING HONG KONG BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY, LIKE, I THINK, THE HONG KONG FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIES. SO, FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE PREPARED AND WISH TO SEE LONGER OPENING HOURS AT OUR BORDER-CROSSINGS AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS ON THAT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
J.
SECONDLY, PERHAPS I CAN DEAL WITH THE QUESTION OF ADDITIONAL ROUTES. NORTH-SOUTH, ACROSS THE BORDER. IT. SEEMS TO ME THAT IT IS IMPERATIVE BOTH FOR OUR OWN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHERN CHINA, TO SECURE BETTER RAIL LINKS,' NORTH- SOUTH, BETWEEN HONG KONG, BETWEEN OUR CONTAINER PORT AND BETWEEN THE PRC. I THINK THAT THE ARGUMENTS PUT FORWARD IN THE RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, ON WHICH AT PRESENT WE ARE OF COURSE CONSULTING, ARE PARTICULARLY PERSUASIVE IN THIS REGARD. I THINK IN PARTICULAR, THAT TO SEE MORE FREIGHT TRAVELLING NORTH-SOUTH ON RAILWAYS RATHER THAN ON BUSY ROADS IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE KNOW THAT THE PRC THEMSELVES HAVE MADE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE RAIL SYSTEM ON THE MAINLAND AND HOPE VERY MUCH THEREFORE THAT THEY WILL WELCOME OUR ATTEMPTS TO DO THE SAME IN HONG KONG.
ONCE THE CONSULTATION PERIOD ON THE RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY HAS BEEN COMPLETED, WE WILL WANT TO COME TO THIS COUNCIL AND TO GO TO OUR CHINESE COLLEAGUES, WITH THOUGHTS ON THE WAY FORWARD, AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT WE CAN GET A MOVE ON WITH THE RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF ITS IMPORTANCE TO OUR ECONOMIC CONVERGENCY WITH CHINA BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF ITS IMPORTANCE TO, FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE NORTH-WEST NEW TERRITORIES WHO HAVE VERY STRONG VIEWS ABOUT THE PROVISION OF BETTER RAILWAY FACILITIES IN THAT PART OF THE TERRITORY.
/MR MARVIN