XN000022-1983-06-07 — Page 7

TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1983

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HONG KONG NOW ABLE TO DESIGN OWN COMPUTERS

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THE DIRECTOR OF TRADE, MR HAMISH MACLEOD, TODAY (TUESDAY) STRESSED THAT THE PHENOMENAL GROWTH IN THE USE OF COMPUTERS HERE WAS AN ESSENTIAL PART IN THE PROCESS OF CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND MODERNISATION OF HONG KONG'S INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES.

ADDRESSING THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE +HONG KONG COMPUTER 1983+ EXHIBITION, MR MACLEOD SAID THAT THE GROWTH WAS ALSO VITAL IN KEEPING HONG KONG AS A LEADING TRADE AND FINANCIAL CENTRE.

+ IN 1976, WHEN THE APPLICATION OF COMPUTERS TO BUSINESS WAS STILL AT AN EARLY STAGE, HONG KONG HAD ONLY 118 COMPUTERS INSTALLED, AND OUR EXTERNAL TRADE TOTALLED HK$84 BILLION.

+BY 1982, THE NUMBER OF COMPUTER INSTALLATIONS REACHED 918,

AND OUR TOTAL TRADE REACHED HK$270 BILLION, HE SAID.

NOTING THAT HONG KONG WAS ONE OF THE FEW COMMUNITIES IN THE REGION WHICH WERE BOTH USERS AND MANUFACTURERS OF COMPUTERS, MP MACLEOD SAID IN VISITING SOME OF OUR LATEST ELECTRONICS FACTORIES RECENTLY, I HAVE BEEN DELIGHTED AND IMPRESSED TO LEARN THAT ALREADY WE HAVE MOVED BEYOND THE ASSEMBLY OF COMPUTERS TO OTHER COUNTRIES' DESIGNS, TO DESIGNING OUR OWN COMPUTERS.+

IN 1982, HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF COMPUTERS AND COMPONENTS TOTALLED HK$1 806 MILLION, OR 2.1 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF ALL COMMODITIES.

+HONG KONG ONLY STARTED TO EXPORT ITS FIRST COMPUTERS IN AND THE BULK OF OUR EXPORTS OF COMPUTER PRODUCTS REMAINS ANY COMPONENTS AND PARTS - 94 PER CENT OF TOTAL COMPUTER CUPORTE IN 1982. OUR PRINCIPAL MARKET IS THE USA - 88 PER CENT BUT EXPORTS TO THE EUROPEAN MARKETS AND JAPAN ARE E..PAND HE SAID.

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