XN000022-1985-12-06 — Page 2

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1985

JI TO MEET WIDE RANGE OF HK PEOPLE

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STATE COUNCILLOR AND DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAU AFFAIRS OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL, MR JI PENGFEI, WILL BE MEETING A WIDE RANGE AND CROSS-SECTION OF HONG KONG PEOPLE DURING HIS FORTHCOMING VISIT, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER OPENING THE LOK WAH ESTATE IN KWUN TONG, SIR DAVID SAID MR JI WOULD BE MEETING SOME MEMBERS OF THE EXÉCUTIVE COUNCIL, LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND DISTRICT BOARDS THROUGHOUT HIS VISIT HERE.

ASKED WHY NO FORMAL ARRANGEMENTS WERE MADE FOR MR JI TO MEET UMELCO AND DB MEMBERS, SIR DAVID SAID IT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE TO FIT SO MUCH INTO A VERY TIGHTLY PACKED PROGRAMME.+

+HOWEVER, HE'LL BE MEETING A LOT OF THE DB AND LEGCO MEMBERS AT INFORMAL OCCASIONS THROUGHOUT HIS VISIT,+ HE ADDED.

ASKED WHETHER ANY SPECIFIC TOPICS WOULD BE BROUGHT UP DURING MR JI'S VISIT, SIR DAVID SAID I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING IS, AS I HAVE SAID PREVIOUSLY, THAT MR JI PENGFEI HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME DOWN TO HONG KONG, SEE HONG KONG FOR HIMSELF, SEE WHAT SORT OF A PLACE IT IS, AND TO MEET HONG KONG PEOPLE.+

IN REPLY TO A FOLLOW-UP QUESTION ON WHAT WOULD BE DISCUSSED WHEN MR JI MEETS THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, AND HIMSELF SIR DAVID SAID: +1 IMAGINE ANYTHING WHICH OCCURS TO HIM. HAVING SEEN HONG KONG, OUR VISITORS ARE USUALLY FULL OF QUESTIONS. I WON'T SUPPOSE HE WOULD BE SHORT OF QUESTIONS.+

ANSWER ING ANOTHER QUESTION ON MR JI'S PROGRAMME, SIR DAVID SAID HE HOPED MR JI WOULD DO WHAT MOST OF OUR VISITORS DO THAT IS TO GET A GOOD LOOK OF HONG KONG AS A PLACE FROM THE AIR.

IN REPLY TO ANOTHER QUESTION, SIR DAVID SAID THAT AS FAR AS HE WAS AWARE, MR JI WOULD NOT BE LIVING IN GOVERNMENT HOUSE DURING HIS VISIT.

JACOBS TO SUCCEED SIR JOHN AS FS

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THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY (FRIDAY) THAT THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MR PIERS JACOBS, WILL SUCCEED SIR JOHN BREMRIDGE AS FINANCIAL SECRETARY IN MID 1986.

SIR JOHN WILL BE LEAVING THE PUBLIC SERVICE ON COMPLETION OF HIS CONTRACT AS FINANCIAL SECRETARY, A POST WHICH HE WILL HAVE HELD FOR FIVE YEARS.

/MR JACOBS