10
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1994
THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO PROVIDE EFFECTIVE LEGISLATION AND GUIDELINES TO MEET THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY; WHILE BUILDING MATERIAL SUPPLIERS, PROPERTY DEVELOPERS, BUILDING PROFESSIONALS, CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS AND BUILDING MANAGEMENTS
SHOULD PROMOTE QUALITY ASSURANCE.
+
THE
THE
IN ESSENCE, IT MEANS THE INVOLVEMENT OF ALL CONCERNED: SETTING OF HIGH STANDARDS, THE MANUFACTURE OF QUALITY MATERIALS, ADOPTION OF GOOD DESIGN, THE OBSERVANCE OF SOUND PRACTICES, MAINTENANCE OF VIGILANT SUPERVISION AND PROVISION OF CAREFUL WORKMANSHIP, SHE CONCLUDED.
APEC TO LEAD THE WAY IN TRADE LIBERALISATION: D-G OF TRADE
*
THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF TRADE. MR TONY MILLER, TODAY (WEDNESDAY) EMPHASISED THE IMPORTANCE WHICH HONG KONG ATTACHED TO ASIA PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION (APEC) AS A VEHICLE FOR ACCELERATING THE LIBERALISATION OF WORLD TRADE.
THEY
"MEMBERS OF APEC HAVE SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT IN COMMON ARE ALL GROWING, THIS GIVES THEM GREATER SELF-CONFIDENCE THAN MANY OTHER ECONOMIES ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE LABELS LIKE SCLEROSIS AND NEUROSIS ARE INCREASINGLY APPLIED," HE SAID.
"THIS CONFIDENCE SHOULD ALLOW US TO APPROACH THE NEXT STEPS IN LIBERALISING TRADE AND INVESTMENT FLOWS IN A POSITIVE, NON- PROTECTIONIST WAY. IT SHOULD ALLOW US TO LEAD THE WAY, TO MOVE AHEAD FASTER THAN THE REST OF THE PACK."
ADDRESSING A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE HONG KONG-CANADA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION IN TORONTO, MR MILLER CAUTIONED AGAINST VIEWING APEC AS A
TRADE BLOC.
"I
GET A LITTLE NERVOUS WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT APEC AS A FREE TRADE AREA IN THE MAKING, AS IF SUCH A DEVELOPMENT WERE EITHER NECESSARY OR A GOOD IDEA. IT IS NEITHER," HE SAID.
"THE
FACT THAT, AS A GROUP, APEC MEMBERS WANT TO MOVE FASTER DOWN THE ROAD TO FREE TRADE IS GOOD. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT FOLLOW THAT WE SHOULD DO SO IN AN EXCLUSIVE, OR PURELY RECIPROCAL WAY.
'FREE TRADE, GENUINELY FREE TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES AND GENUINELY FREE INVESTMENT FLOWS, IS THE OBJECTIVE. WE CAN GET THERE, BUT WE SHOULD NOT SHUT OUR MARKETS TO NON-APEC MEMBERS IN THE PROCESS.
ON
IF WE HAVE THE COURAGE TO LIBERALISE THEN WE SHOULD DO SO AN OPEN MFN BASIS. WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BY IT. WE HAVE EVERYTHING то GAIN. HONG KONG IS VIVID PROOF OF THE BENEFITS OF THIS SORT OF AUTONOMOUS LIBERALISATION.'
MR MILLER DESCRIBED THE INTERNATIONAL TRADING SYSTEM UNDER THE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE (GATT) AS A HEALTHY RESPONSE TO THE BEGGAR-THY-NEIGHBOUR POLICIES WHICH HAD STRANGLED PRE-WAR TRADE, SAID THE PRINCIPLES ON WHICH GATT WAS FOUNDED WERE BRILLIANTLY SIMPLE AND HAD WORKED WELL THEN THEY HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO.
AND
/HE WAS