WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1994
IS
THE
HONG BY
AND
THE IMPORTANCE TO HONG KONG'S ECONOMY OF CHINA'S MEN STATUS INCREASING YEAR BY YEAR. AS HONG KONG BENEFITS INCREASINGLY FROM CONTINUING OPENING UP OF CHINA TO EXTERNAL TRADE, THE STAKES FOR KONG IN THE RENEWAL OF CHINA'S MFN STATUS ARE BECOMING HIGHER YEAR YEAR. SOME MEMBERS HAVE REFERRED TO OUR MOST RECENT ASSESSMENT OF THE DAMAGING IMPACT OF
THIS THE LOSS OF MFN ON HONG KONG'S ECONOMY. ASSESSMENT HAS NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT THE FURTHER LOSS IN INCOME JOBS
RETALIATION IF CHINA WERE TO CUT BACK ON ITS IMPORTS, EITHER IN
PROGRAMME. AGAINST THE US OR AS A CONSEQUENTIAL ECONOMIC RETRENCHMENT NOR
TAKEN HAS IT
INTO ACCOUNT THE EXTREMELY DAMAGING BUSINESS CONFIDENCE CONFIDENCE IN RCONOMIC GROWTH. ENTERING SOVEREIGNTY,
EFFECT CHINA, OR LONG-TERM
ON
IS CHINESE MORE
IN HONG KONG AS THE GATEWAY TO
AND HONG KONG'S ABILITY TO MAINTAIN STEADY
KONG ALL THIS WOULD HAPPEN AT A TIME WHEN HONG
TO THE FINAL STAGES OF PREPARATIONS FOR OUR RETURN
WHEN THE ASPIRATIONS OF OUR PEOPLE FOR BETTER AND
SOCIAL COMPREHENSIVE
SERVICES, AS WELL AS ENVIRONMENTAL INFRASTRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS TO ENHANCE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE, ARE GETTING EVER HIGHER.
PROFITS. PEOPLE THEIR
IS,
AND
BY
THE A
EQUALLY
MR PRESIDENT, THE HONG KONG STORY IS NOT JUST ABOUT MAKING
SIX THE HONG KONG STORY IS, ABOVE ALL, ABOUT HOW
MILLION
UP AND THEIR PREDECESSORS HAVE MANAGED TO PULL THEMSELVES
IN OWN BOOTSTRAPS AND TRANSFORMED THE BACKWATER MIRED
POVERTY AND INSTABILITY THAT WAS HONG KONG IN THE YEARS IMMEDIATELY AFTER SECOND WORLD WAR, INTO A COMMUNITY WHICH IS NOT ONLY PROSPEROUS AND PROMINENT ENTITY IN THE WORLD ECONOMIC ORDER BUT WHICH IMPORTANTLY, ALSO FREE AND FAIR AND CARING. A COMMUNITY WHICH CARES
OUR ABOUT
QUALITY OF LIFE, ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS. TAKE AWAY MFN, AND YOU CUT BACK OUR ECONOMIC GROWTH SHARPLY. WHICH WE TAKE AWAY GROWTH, AND YOU TAKE AWAY THE VERY FOUNDATION ON
TO BUILD A BETTER HONG KONG PLAN
A HONG KONG ABLE TO COPE WITH ASPIRATIONS OF ALL OF OUR PEOPLE AND THE CHALLENGES OF THE DOUBTLESS, WE WOULD OVERCOME THE PROBLEMS, IF MEN WAS REMOVED HAVE SURMOUNTED DIFFICULT PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. IT WOULD BE A TOUGH GREAT CHALLENGE, BUT RISING TO CHALLENGES HAS ALWAYS BEEN HONG KONG'S STRENGTH.
—
THE FUTURE.
AS WE
PAST
I
TO SUM UP, MR PRESIDENT, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE ΤΟ
MFN ARGUE VIGOROUSLY FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL RENEWAL OF CHINA'S STATUS IN THE US. THE OPENING OF CHINA TO EXTERNAL TRADE IN THE FIFTEEN YEARS HAS WORKED WONDERS IN THE ECONOMIC ARENA, AND IS SETTING IN TRAIN A PROCESS OF GRADUAL BUT STEADY PROGRESS ACROSS THE BOARD. DO BELIEVE, MR PRESIDENT, THAT WITHDRAWAL OF MFN WOULD NOT ONLY DAMAGE HONG KONG'S ECONOMY, BUT ALSO BE UNPRODUCTIVE, OR EVEN COUNTER- PRODUCTIVE, IN TERMS OF THE OBJECTIVES WHICH THE US HAS SET ITSELF. THE OFFICIAL MEMBERS WILL VOTE FOR THE ORIGINAL MOTION.
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