XN000022-1985-08-27 — Page 9

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1985

MR. CHEONG-LEEN POINTED OUT THAT LONDON IS THE

NO. 1 FINANCIAL MARKET IN THE WORLD, WHILE HONG KONG IS ASIA'S NO. 1 FINANCIAL CENTRE, AND THE THIRD IN THE WORLD ONLY TO LONDON AND NEW YORK.

ALSO, LONDON IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST GOLD TRADING CENTRE, WHILE HONG KONG IS ASIA'S LARGEST AND THE THIRD IN THE WORLD ONLY TO LONDON AND ZURICH.

+ WE ARE BOTH EVER-STRIVING AND DYNAMIC CITIES WHERE PROSPERITY AND PROGRESS ARE THE HONEST REWARDS OF OUR RESPECTIVE ENDEAVOURS, HE SAID.

ON THE CULTURAL SIDE, MR CHEONG-LEEN NOTED, NUMEROUS ORCHESTRAS, DANCE, DRAMA AND THEATRE COMPANIES, AS WELL AS ARTISTS FROM BRITAIN HAVE BEEN STAGING PERFORMANCE IN URBAN COUNCIL PRESENTATIONS.

IN RETURN, THE COUNCIL ALSO SENDS ITS PERFORMING COMPANIES OVERSEAS TO ENRICH THEIR PERFORMING EXPERIENCE AND ENHANCE THEIR INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION.

HE CITED AS EXAMPLE THE COUNCIL'S DANCE COMPANY WHICH GAVE A TOTAL OF FIVE PERFORMANCES IN LONDON AND OTHER CITIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM DURING THE 'HONG KONG PROMOTION 1981'. THE TOUR HAD STRENGTHENED THE CULTURAL TIES BETWEEN THE TWO CITIES AND HAD SUCCEEDED IN PROMOTING THE IMAGE OF HONG KONG AMONG THE BRITISH PEOPLE.

MR CHEONG-LEEN SAID THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE LORD MAYOR'S CORPORATION RESEMBLE THOSE OF THE URBAN COUNCIL.

+ONE OF THE MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES OF YOUR CORPORATION IS TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH YOUR CITY, AS A CENTRE FOR FINANCE, TRADE, COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, CAN FLOURISH.

+ AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLES OF THE URBAN COUNCIL IS TO BRING A BETTER, HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER LIFESTYLE TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE. .+

TURNING TO HONG KONG'S TRADING AND INVESTMENT SCENE, MR CHEONG-LEEN SAID THAT IN 1984, HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO THE UNITED KINGDOM ROSE BY ALMOST 23 PER CENT TO 1 049 MILLION POUNDS STERLING WHILE HONG KONG IMPORTED 870 MILLION POUNDS STERLING OF GOODS FROM BRITAIN.

+WITH THE RATIFICATION OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION ON MAY 27, 1985, HONG KONG IS NOW SET TO EXPAND EVEN MORE ITS VITAL ROLE AS THE TRADING AND ECONOMIC GATEWAY TO CHINA AND HER ONE BILLION PEOPLE,+ SAID MR CHEONG-LEEN.

+ THE JOINT DECLARATION WILL ENABLE HONG KONG TO CONTINUE ITS VALUABLE AND EXCELLENT LINKS WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM NOT ONLY DURING THE 12-YEAR TRANSITION PERIOD, BUT ALSO IN THE YEARS BEYOND 1997.

/HONG KONG