XN000022-1983-11-23 — Page 18

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1983

+THESE CONTACTS ARE BEING MAINTAINED AT THE WORKING LEVEL AND WE HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF RECEIVING SEVERAL OFFICIALS AND DELEGATIONS FROM THE CCPIT SINCE THEN, MISS DUNN SAID.

+AS A FOLLOW-UP, WE WILL BE HOLDING THE FIRST EVER TRADE FAIR DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO HONG KONG IN GUANGZHOU NEXT JANUARY, SHE REPORTED.

TURNING TO PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS IN HONG KONG'S TRADITIONAL MARKETS, MISS DUNN SAID THAT AN IMPORTANT PROMOTION IN NEW YORK HAD BEEN SCHEDULED FOR NEXT JANUARY AND THIS WOULD INCLUDE A GALA FASHION PRESENTATION AS WELL AS A MAJOR PRODUCT EXHIBITION.

+THIS IS BEING ARRANGED TO COINCIDE WITH THE ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL RETAIL MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION - A BODY REPRESENTING 45 000 TOP RETAIL OUTLETS THROUGHOUT THE USA,+ SHE EXPLAINED.

+ IN ADDITION, AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED WITH THE WORLD FAMOUS HARRODS' DEPARTMENT STORE IN LONDON TO MOUNT, IN MARCH NEXT YEAR, A STORE-WIDE PROMOTION OF HONG KONG PRODUCTS,+ SHE SAID, ADDING THAT THIS WOULD BE HARRODS' BIGGEST EVER PROMOTION DEVOTED TO OVERSEAS MERCHANDISE.

MISS DUNN EXPLAINED THAT WHILE STAGING LARGE-SCALE PROMOTIONS WAS NECESSARY AND INDEED VALUABLE IN PROMOTING THE IMAGE OF HONG KONG AS A PRODUCER OF HIGH QUALITY MERCHANDISE, THIS EFFORT ONLY REPRESENTED A SMALL FRACTION OF THE TDC'S WORK.

SHE SAID THAT A SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT OF THE WORK OF THE TDC'S 30 OFFICES AND CORRESPONDENTS AROUND THE WORLD WAS TAKEN UP BY THE PROCESSING OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUAL TRADE ENQUIRIES AND MAINTENANCE OF CLOSE LIAISON WITH OVERSEAS AUTHORITIES CHARGED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE AS WELL AS THE PROVISION OF CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT HONG KONG TO THE OVERSEAS MEDIA.

+TO GIVE YOU SOME IDEA OF THE EXTENT OF THIS DAY TO DAY WORK, DURING THE YEAR UNDER REVIEW, THE TDC PROCESSED OVER 120 000 SPECIFIC TRADE ENQUIRIES. IT LOOKED AFTER 130 INCOMING TRADE MISSIONS TO HONG KONG FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD; AND HANDLED OVER FIVE AND A HALF THOUSAND RESEARCH ENQUIRIES FROM THE HONG KONG BUSINESS COMMUNITY THROUGH OUR ECONOMIC INFORMATION UNIT.

+AT THE SAME TIME, THE TDC HEAD OFFICE PUBLISHED OVER ONE AND A HALF MILLION COPIES OF TRADE MAGAZINES, BROCHURES AND PAMPHLETS AND DISSEMINATED SEVERAL HUNDRED PRESS ARTICLES ABOUT HONG KONG TO THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA.

+SUCH ACTIVITIES ARE THE STAPLE OF SENSIBLE AND PRAGMATIC TRADE DEVELOPMENT - THE MEANS BY WHICH THE TDC PROVIDES EFFECTIVE AND RELEVANT SUPPORT FOR HONG KONG'S BUSINESS COMMUNITY.

+ INDEED, OVER THE YEARS, THE TDC HAS BECOME A MODEL WHICH MANY OTHER COUNTRIES STRIVE TO EMULATE, MISS DUNN ADDED.

BEFORE CONCLUDING HER SPEECH, SHE PAID TRIBUTE TO HER PREDECESSOR, SIR Y.K. KAN, WHO RETIRED FROM THE COUNCIL LAST YEAR.

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