14
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1994
FS:
THE
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I DON'T THINK YET. I DON'T THINK SO YET. I THINK INITIAL REACTION OF THE PROPERTY MARKET, TO OUR MEASURES -AND OF CONSUMERS OF COURSE - WAS QUITE ENCOURAGING. I MEAN BY THAT THE TWO THINGS I MENTIONED EARLIER: THE TRANSACTIONS HAVE GONE DOWN AND OF COURSE PRICES HAVE GONE DOWN AROUND 10 TO 15 PER CENT. WE WERE NOT TRYING TO HAVE A RADICAL REACTION IN THE PROPERTY MARKET. SO, WE WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT.
QUESTION:
HAS THE GOVERNMENT DECIDED HOW IT WILL TENDER OUT THE CT10 AND 11 CONTRACTS?
NO, WE HAVE NOT YET MADE A DECISION ON THAT.
ONE
FS:
MORE QUESTION, YES.
QUESTION:
A NEWSPAPER REPORTED THAT DONALD TSANG WILL BE THE NEXT FINANCIAL SECRETARY AND DO YOU THINK HE IS THE BEST PERSON TO GET THE POST?
FS:
YES, I READ ALL THIS SPECULATION WITH GREAT INTEREST, BUT OF COURSE I'M NOT GOING TO COMMENT ON IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
QUESTION:
CAN I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT APEC?
YES, ASK ME A QUESTION ABOUT APEC. VERY WELCOME, YES.
FS:
QUESTION:
YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE MAKING ABOUT NOT HAVING FREE TRADE MEASURES. CAN YOU TELL US WHO IS NOISES AND WHAT THE NOISES ARE?
NOISES
MAKING
FS:
AFTER
NO, I'M CERTAINLY NOT GOING TO SAY WHO BECAUSE, ALL, AGAIN MY AIM IN THIS, AS IN OTHER ISSUES, IS TO TRY AND REACH AGREEMENT NOT TO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT. BUT I'M JUST SOUNDING A LITTLE NOTE OF REALISM HERE THAT, AS I'VE SAID, IT IS EASIER FOR PLACES LIKE HONG KONG TO ADOPT THIS TARGET THAN FOR SOME OTHERS. THERE WILL BE A LOT OF SPECIAL PLEADING AS WE GET INTO THE DETAILS AND OUR AIM WILL BE TO TRY AND RESIST AN ENDLESS LIST OF EXCEPTIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS EMERGING, WHICH WILL REALLY MAKE FREE TRADE NOT FREE TRADE AT ALL. THAT'S OUR WORRY, THAT WE END UP WITH SOMETHING CALLED FREE TRADE THAT ISN'T.
DO YOU EXPECT THERE WILL BE ANY CONCRETE RESULTS FROM
QUESTION: APEC?
FS:
I AM CAUTIOUSLY HOPEFUL THAT THERE WILL BE A RESULT AT LEAST BROAD AGREEMENT ON THE TARGET AND THEN PERHAPS REMITTING THE DETAIL TO BE SORTED OUT BY TRADE MINISTERS. I MEAN I THINK THAT'S QUITE A LIKELY SCENARIO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN,
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