XN000022-1982-02-10 — Page 26

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1982

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TDC ANNUAL REPORT ***

GROWING PROTECTIONISM AND THE CURRENT WEAK ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN THE MAJOR MARKETS HAVE PLACED CONSIDERABLE PRESSURES ON OUR BUSINESSMEN AND THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL TO MAINTAIN HONG KONG'S EXPORT PERFORMANCE, THE HON WONG PO-YAN SAID.

HOWEVER, BY CAREFUL SELECTION OF PRODUCTS AND VENUES OF THE TDC'S EXPORT PROMOTIONS PROGRAMME, THE COUNCIL HAS ENSURED THAT THE +MADE IN HONG KONG+ LABEL NOW STANDS FOR QUALITY AND REACHES THE RIGHT MARKETS.

SPEAKING AT THE TABLING OF THE 15TH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HONG KONG TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, MR WONG SAID: +AS SUCH, THE TDC HAS PLACED GREAT EMPHASIS ON SPECIALISED TRADE FAIRS AND IN MORE INNOVATIVE MARKETING APPROACHES.

+HONG KONG'S PARTICIPATION IN THE SWISS INDUSTRIES FAIR IN BASLE TO PROMOTE WATCHES AND JEWELLERY, AND THE TDC'S JOINT EFFORTS WITH THE JAPANESE CHAIN STORES GROUP TO EXPAND EXPORTS TO JAPAN ARE JUST TWO SUCH EXAMPLES.

MR WONG NOTED THAT THE 63 MAJOR OVERSEAS TRADE PROMOTIONS MOUNTED BY THE TDC DURING THE YEAR CONTRIBUTED TO A LARGE EXTENT TO HONG KONG'S CONTINUED TRADE GROWTH.

THE SCALE OF THESE PROMOTIONS MEANT THAT SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD - MORE THAN TWICE A WEEK, EVERY WEEK OF THE YEAR - THERE WAS A GROUP OF HONG KONG BUSINESSMEN SELLING GOODS +MADE IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.

IN FACT, OVER 5 000 HONG KONG COMPANIES HAVE TAKEN PART IN THE TDC'S OVERSEAS PROMOTIONS SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAMME IN 1966.

BUT THE COUNCIL'S WORK WAS NOT LIMITED TO PURE PRODUCT EXPOSURE, ADDED MR WONG.

+IN ORDER TO ENSURE FUTURE SUCCESS IN DEVELOPING ITS OVERSEAS PROMOTIONS, THE COUNCIL MAINTAINS HIGH-LEVEL CONTACTS WITH BUSINESS COMMUNITIES ABROAD.

+OVER 116 000 DIRECT TRADE ENQUIRIES HAD BEEN HANDLED BY THE COUNCIL'S STAFF DURING THE YEAR UNDER REVIEW AND THE TDC PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN 1.3 MILLION PUBLICATIONS IN SEVEN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES TO OVER 170 COUNTRIES WORLD-WIDE.

*IN ADDITION, TDC MISSIONS LED BY ITS CHAIRMAN, SIR YUET-KEUNG KAN, VISITED COUNTRIES IN WESTERN EUROPE, THE U.S.A., MEXICO, AFRICA, JAPAN AND THE MIDDLE EAST, HE SAID.

/MR WONG

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