XN000022-1987-10-07 — Page 27

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1987

"THESE OBJECTIVES

BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH MULTILATERALLY TAKING: PART

THE GOVERNMENT PURSUES, BOTH THROUGH GOVERNMENTS IN OUR MAJOR MARKETS, AND IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE ORGANISATIONS, PARTICULARLY THE GATT. MUCH VALUABLE ASSISTANCE IN SELLING HONG KONG PRODUCTS IS GIVEN BY THE TRADE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL: I SHOULD TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THEIR EFFORTS."

LIKE

AS A FULL MEMBER OF THE GATT, HONG KONG WAS PLAYING

AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE URUGUAY ROUND OF MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS NOW UNDERWAY IN GENEVA, AND SOME PROGRESS HAD ALREADY BEEN ACHIEVED.

"THERE IS A GROWING IDENTITY OF VIEWS IN THE NEGOTIATIONS THE NEED FOR IMPROVED PROCEDURES TO SETTLE TRADE DISPUTES.

TURNING TO INDUSTRY, SIR DAVID SAID IT WAS CONSIDER THE NEED HOW BEST TO ENCOURAGE AND ASSIST INDUSTRIES TO BECOME INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE.

"I

ON

NECESSARY MANUFACTURING

TO

THE INDUSTRY THE VOCATIONAL

HE NOTED THAT THE PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL, DEPARTMENT, THE INDUSTRIAL ESTATES CORPORATION AND TRAINING COUNCIL ALL PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THIS EFFORT,

SIR DAVID POINTED OUT THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD FOR MANY YEARS PUT A HIGH PRIORITY ON PROVIDING AN ADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR INDUSTRY, IN PARTICULAR IN ENSURING THAT SUFFICIENT SUPPLIES ENERGY,

OF WATER AND INDUSTRIAL LAND WERE MADE AVAILABLE.

"MORE RECENTLY WE HAVE BEGUN TO PLACE INCREASING EMPHASIS ON PROVIDING SUPPORT SERVICES SPECIFICALLY TO ASSIST INDUSTRY TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY, HE SAID.

RECENT EXAMPLES WERE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STANDARDS AND CALIBRATION LABORATORY, THE LABORATORY ACCREDITATION SCHEME, AND THE DESIGN INNOVATION COMPANY,

IN ADDITION, A NUMBER OF NEW INITIATIVES WERE BEING TAKEN TO ASSIST INDUSTRY AS A RESULT OF THE VALUABLE WORK OF THE INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD, SIR DAVID SAID.

"THESE RESULT FROM CAREFUL AND DETAILED STUDIES OF THE NEEDS OF PARTICULAR INDUSTRIES WHICH CANNOT BE FILLED BY THE INDUSTRY ITSELF PROPOSALS ARE NOW BEING WORKED OUT FOR A PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY CENTRE BASED IN THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC; AND A SCHEME HAS BEGUN ΤΟ HELP ENGINEERS TO OBTAIN TRAINING OVERSRAS IN NEW ELECTRONIC

·

TECHNOLOGIES.

"THE UNIVERSITIES AND THE HONG KONG

POLYTECHNIC HAVE BEEN GIVEN FUNDS TO RESEARCH POSSIBLE INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE LATEST ELECTRONIC AND COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING

TECHNOLOGIES.

"A PILOT