XN000022-1986-05-26 — Page 10

ON

MONDAY, MAY 26, 1986

THESE VENDORS WERE PROHIBITED BY LAW FROM RE-USING ANY ICE-CREAM LEFT OVER FROM THE PREVIOUS DAY'S TRADING.

HEALTH INSPECTORS WOULD BE TAKING A CLOSE LOOK IN JTURE AT THE OPERATIONS OF THESE VANS, OF WHICH FOUR PERATE ON HONG KONG ISLAND AND 14 IN KOWLOON, SAID MR EYWOOD.

JAPANESE FIRMS TOLD OF OPPORTUNITIES

*****

JAPAN ACCOUNTS FOR JUST OVER 21 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF OVERSEAS INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG'S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES BUT THIS REPRESENTS ONLY A PART OF THE OPPORTUNITIES WHICH HONG KONG NOW OFFERS TO JAPANESE FIRMS, THE DIRECTOR OF INDUSTRY, MR K.Y. YEUNG SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE YKK FACTORY BUILDING IN

TUEN MUN, MR YEUNG SAID DURING THE PAST 15 MONTHS, NINE JAPANESE FIRMS HAD EITHER COME TO HONG KONG FOR THE FIRST TIME OR EXPANDED THE IR OPERATIONS HERE, AND SIX OTHERS WERE KNOWN TO BE PLANNING TO SET UP MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS THIS YEAR.

+TOTAL NEW INVESTMENT FROM JAPAN IN 1985 AND 1986 IS LIKELY

TO REACH $800 MILLION, + HE SAID.

IN OUTLINING THE OPPORTUNITIES WHICH HONG KONG COULD OFFER TO JAPANESE INVESTORS, MR YEUNG SAID HONG KONG WAS A WORTHWHILE MARKET IN ITSELF FOR INVESTMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS.

+GROSS MANUFACTURING OUTPUT IN 1983 WAS $160 BILLION AND THIS REPRESENTS A IT HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY SINCE THEN. SUBSTANTIAL MARKET FOR LOCAL MANUFACTURING.+

MR YEUNG NOTED THAT THE SAME POINT HELD TRUE AS REGARDS THE MARKET FOR CONSUMER GOODS AS HONG KONG'S POPULATION HAD AN ANNUAL PER CAPITA GDP OF OVER U.S.$6 000, REPRESENTING CONSIDERABLE PURCHASING POWER.

+HONG KONG IS THEREFORE A POTENTIAL PROFIT CENTRE, RATHER THAN SIMPLY SOMEWHERE WHERE JAPANESE FIRMS CAN MANUFACTURE MORE CHEAPLY THAN AT HOME+, HE SAID.

THERE WERE OTHER AREAS INVOLVING MORE MATURE TECHNOLOGIES FOR WHICH HONG KONG OFFERED GOOD OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVESTMENT SUCH AS PRECISION METAL WORKING AND PRECISION PLASTIC MOULDING, PRODUCING PRECISION PARTS FOR OUR ELECTRONICS, ELECTRICAL, PHOTOGRAPHIC, WATCH AND TOY INDUSTRIES.

E

/+AN INCREASED

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