XN000022-1978-11-19 — Page 2

J

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1978

TOP LEVEL ECONOMIC MISSION TO JAPAN UNDERWAY

****

SIR YUET-KEUNG KAN TODAY (SUNDAY) LEFT FOR JAPAN WHERE HE WILL LEAD A HIGH LEVEL HONG KONG ECONOMIC MISSION TO BOOST TWO-WAY TRADE AND ATTRACT MORE JAPANESE INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG,

SIR YUET-KEUNG WAS ACCOMPANIED BY TWO MISSION MEMBERS,

MR. T.K. ANN AND MR. MICHAEL SANDBERG. THEY WILL BE JOINED

IN TOKYO BY THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE MISSION — SIR SZE-YUEN CHUNG, SIR YUE-KONG PAO, MR. DAVID NEWBIGGING, MR. LEN DUNNING OF THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL AND MR. DAVID JORDAN, THE DIRECTOR OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS.

BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE TODAY SIR YUET-KEUNG OUTLINED THE FOUR

MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE MISSION. HE SAID THEY WERE

* TO INCREASE JAPANESE AWARENESS OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC

POTENTIAL·

E

* TO EXPLORE JOINTLY THE OPPORTUNITIES EXISTING HERE FOR INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT BY JAPANESE COMPANIES AND THE ACQUISITION OF JAPANESE TECHNOLOGY BY HONG KONG COMPANIES-

* TO ENCOURAGE THE EXPANSION OF TWO-WAY TRADE- AND

* TO FOSTER GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN JAPAN AND HONG KONG AT

A SENIOR LEVEL IN BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS,

THE MISSION'S PROGRAMME BEGINS TOMORROW (MONDAY) WITH GROUP MEETINGS WITH PROMINENT JAPANESE BUSINESSMEN AND INDUSTRIALISTS FOLLOWED BY A MEETING WITH THE JAPAN FOREIGN TRADE COUNCIL.

ON TUESDAY (NOVEMBER 21) THE HONG KONG DELEGATION WILL BE JOINED BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE FOR TWO DAYS OF HIGH-LEVEL ENGAGEMENTS INCLUDING A MEETING WITH THE PRIME MINISTER, MR. FUKUDA, THE GROUP IS ALSO EXPECTED TO SEE THE FOREIGN MINISTER, MR. SONODA, THE MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MR. KOMOTO, AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, MR. USHIBA.

SIR MURRAY WILL RETURN TO HONG KONG ON THURSDAY (NOVEMBER 23) A DAY BEFORE THE MISSION CONCLUDES ITS VISIT.

THE ECONOMIC MISSION - THE HIGHEST LEVEL GROUP OF ITS KIND EVER ASSEMBLED TO REPRESENT HONG KONG ABROAD IS BEING JOINTLY ORGANISED BY THE TRADE, INDUSTRY AND CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT AND THE HONG KONG TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL.