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Question: (on the third quarter economic growth)
Governor: The last unemployment figures, I think you'll recall, were slightly lower than the previous ones. We've been predicting, as you know, five per cent growth for the last year. Since the figures for the beginning of the year were well above five per cent, it's not surprising that the figures later in the year are below. We still think the figures will be round about five per cent and we don't have any reason for changing our forecasts for this year or beyond. They are not figures which are as high as they've been in Hong Kong for the last three or four years, but by OECD standards they are still pretty good. In Europe at present they're talking about two, two and a half cent economic growth. I'm not sure what the figures are in Canada, but I'd be amazed if they were as high as four or five per cent. And of course they're not that high in the United States either. So what we've got to do is to keep trying to make the right and prudent and responsible economic decisions. And I think we've got to recognise the importance of confidence especially at this particular time in Hong Kong's economic management. We are imprisoning all those young people, aren't we? I mustn't answer any more. Thank you very much.
per
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Governor pays tribute to Michael Sze
The Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, today (Tuesday) paid tribute to the outgoing Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Michael Sze following his last meeting as an official member of the Executive Council.
Mr Patten said: "Michael Sze has been an outstanding civil servant who can look back on 26 years of public service with great satisfaction. The community has recognised his contributions in many areas of public service during his distinguished
career.
"I am particularly grateful to him for the consistently sound and insightfu! advice he has given me as an official member of the Executive Council over the last three years.
"I shall miss his wise counsel both as a civil servant and as a member of the Executive Council, but I am comforted by the fact that he will continue to contribute his considerable talents and experience to the community in his new role as Executive Director of the Trade Development Council."
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