XN000022-1987-12-15 — Page 5

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1987

HONG KONG/JAPAN CULTURAL AGREEMENT

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THE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY (TUESDAY) THAT IT HAS

A CULTURAL AGREEMENT WITH JAPAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR.

CONCLUDED CURRENT

UNDER THE AGREEMENT, THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE HK$2.32 MILLION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG FOR PROMOTING JAPANESE STUDIES. THE SUM WILL BE USED TO EQUIP AN AUDIO-VISUAL LIBRARY IN THE UNIVERSITY'S DEPARTMENT OF JAPANESE.

THE AGREEMENT WAS CONTAINED IN NOTES EXCHANGED BETWEEN MR MICHELANGELO PAGLIARI, SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, AND MR KOICHIRO MATSUURA, THE JAPANESE CONSUL-GENERAL IN HONG KONG, AT A SIGNING CEREMONY HELD TODAY IN THE GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT WHICH WAS ALSO ATTENDED BY DR WANG GUNGWU, VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG.

HONG

KONG

JAPAN

FROM

"AT PRESENT, THE TWO UNIVERSITIES AND THE POLYTECHNIC EACH RECEIVE SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE FOUNDATION WHICH IS FUNDED BY THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT. BUT FUNDS THIS SOURCE ARE LIMITED AND CANNOT BE IMPROVED SUBSTANTIALLY, MR PAGLIARI SAID.

H

"THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT HAS GENEROUSLY MADE AVAILABLE THIS FURTHER SUBSTANTIAL SUM TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG. THIS REQUIRES HOWEVER A GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT AGREEMENT, MR PAGLIARI EXPLAINED.

"WE GREATLY WELCOME THIS AGREEMENT WHICH PROVIDES FURTHER SUPPORT TO OUR TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS. AGAINST A BACKGROUND. OF GROWING LINKS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND JAPAN, JAPANESE LANGUAGE STUDIES ARE BECOMING MORE IMPORTANT FOR OUR STUDENTS, MR PAGLIARI ADDED.

"

DR WANG, THE VICE-CHANCELLOR, ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY, WELCOMED THE NEW CULTURAL AGREEMENT. IT WAS FURTHER EVIDENCE, HE SAID, OF THE CONTINUING INTEREST OF THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN IN SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF JAPANESE STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY.

INDICATED,

THE FUNCTIONS OF THE AUDIO-VISUAL. LIBRARY WOULD, HE GO FAR BEYOND THOSE OF TRADITIONAL LANGUAGE LABORATORIES, AND WOULD INCLUDE THE PRODUCTION AND VIEWING OF PURPOSE-MADE PROGRAMMES.

HE ADDED THAT THE UNIVERSITY REGARDED THE NEW LIBRARY, WHICH WOULD BE OPERATIONAL IN 1988, AS AN IMPORTANT FOCUS FOR WORK BEING CARRIED OUT IN THE UNIVERSITY'S FACULTIES OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF JAPANESE SOCIETY AND CULTURE.

THE TEACHING DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED INCLUDED ECONOMICS, SCIENCE, SOCIOLOGY, HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY AND FINE ARTS JAPANESE STUDIES, HE EXPLAINED.

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AS

POLITICAL WELL AS

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