XN000022-1986-07-17 — Page 3

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THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1986

ASKED WHY HONG KONG ACQUIESCED TO THE RECENT U.S. DEMAND THAT BROUGHT TIGHT RESTRICTIONS ON HONG KONG TEXTILE IMPORTS, SIR EDWARD SAID: +BECAUSE YOU ARE BIGGER THAN WE ARE.+

HE SAID HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE REALISTS AND VALUED THE AMERICAN MARKET.

+WE WERE DISAPPOINTED WHEN WE HAD TO RENEGOTIATE,+ HE SAID, BUT WE RECOGNISE THE CLIMATE OF OPINION.+

+SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO ACCEPT LESS THAN OUR HIGHER PRINCIPLES.+

EARLIER, SIR EDWARD TOLD REPORTERS HE FEELS THE HONG KONG MISSION HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN CREATING A POSITIVE IMAGE OF THE TERRITORY DURING ITS VISIT TO NORTH AMERICA.

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS WHILE FLYING FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SEATTLE, SIR EDWARD POINTED OUT THAT BESIDES HIS PUBLIC SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS HE HAD SINCE ARRIVAL BEEN MEETING PRIVATELY MANY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE, MAINLY BUSINESSMEN.

AT THESE MEETINGS HE HAD BEEN ABLE TO REINFORCE HIS MESSAGE AS WELL AS EXPLAIN HONG KONG'S POLICIES AND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TERRITORY.

FOR EXAMPLE, HE SPOKE WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF BUSINESS LEADERS, ESPECIALLY ON THE WEST COAST, AT A BREAKFAST ORGANISED BY THE HONG KONG BAY AREA ASSOCIATION IN SAN FRANCISCO.

THEY WERE INTERESTED IN TRADING WITH HONG KONG AND SOME DID HAVE INTERESTS IN THE TERRITORY, AND +1 WAS ABLE TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO COME AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER,+ SIR EDWARD SAID.

THE GOVERNOR EXPLAINED TO THE REPORTERS THAT THERE WERE THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES IN VISITING SAN FRANCISCO, SEATTLE AND VANCOUVER.

THE FIRST WAS TO AROUSE AN INTEREST IN HONG KONG AS A TOURISM DESTINATION AND AS A PLACE IN WHICH TO DO BUSINESS.

THE SECOND WAS TO DELIVER A POSITIVE IMAGE OF HONG KONG AS A PROSPEROUS AND STABLE PLACE OFFERING NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO BUSINESSMEN.

THE THIRD WAS TO EMPHASISE HONG KONG'S STATUS AS A TERRITORY WHICH BELIEVED IN FREE TRADE.

+IT'S VERY EASY FOR HONG KONG TO GET LUMPED TOGETHER WITH COUNTRIES WHICH ARE NOT AS FREE IN TRADING PRACTICES AS WE ARE,+ SIR EDWARD SAID.

/+AND E

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