XN000022-1988-09-21 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1988

LORD GLENARTHUR SAID HONG KONG LAY AT THE HEART OF BRITAIN'S RELATIONS WITH CHINA, AND THE RELATIONSHIP WAS UNIQUE, WITH HONG KONG GIVING BRITAIN AND CHINA VITAL COMMON INTERESTS.

TRANSFORMATION' THAT HAD

CHINA

HE OUTLINED THE 'SWIFT AND DRAMATIC TAKEN PLACE IN ECONOMIC AND TRADING LINKS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND SINCE THE SIGNING OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION IN 1984.

THE

AND "IN SHORT, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA

HONG KONG HAS

RAPIDLY DEVELOPED

INTO ONE OF ECONOMIC INTERDEPENDENCE AND CONSIDERABLE MUTUAL BENEFIT," HE SAID, CITING AS AN EXAMPLE

OVER ONE MILLION PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN CHINA WORKING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY FOR HONG KONG BUSINESS INTERESTS.

LORD GLENARTHUR SAID BRITAIN, FOR ITS PART, HAD MASSIVE INTERESTS IN THE TERRITORY, AND IT WAS POURING MORE RESOURCES INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH BOTH CHINA AND HONG KONG, "WE ARE PUTTING OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS," HE SAID.

AN FOR EXAMPLE, BRITAIN WAS SPONSORING TRADE MISSIONS TO HONG KONG AND CHINA, AND FIVE WOULD BE COMING TO HONG KONG NEXT MONTH ALONE.

INCREASED NUMBER OF MINISTERIAL VISITORS

ENCOURAGE MORE WAS BEING DONE TO

BRITISH COMPANIES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ACCESS TO THE CHINA MARKET AFFORDED BY HONG KONG, AND THE BRITISH OVERSEAS TRADE BOARD WAS PROMOTING MORE EXHIBITIONS AND TRADE FAIRS.

TRADE IN ADDITION, BRITAIN WAS RAISING ITS OFFICIAL COMMERCIAL

OF SENIOR PROFILE IN HONG KONG, AND THE RECENT UPGRADING OF THE POST BRITISH TRADE COMMISSIONER WAS A

REFLECTION OF THE INCREASED PRIORITY ATTACHED TO THE TERRITORY.

TRUE

LORD FORWARD" I INVOLVEMENT IN HONG SOME PRESS REPORTS THAT

THE WATCHWORDS WERE "BUILD UP" AND "MOVE GLENARTHUR SAID IN OUTLINING BRITISH COMMERCIAL KONG WHICH, HE SAID, SHOWED HOW WRONG WERE CLAIMED THE BRITISH PRESENCE WAS IN DECLINE.

IN LORD GLENARTHUR SAID THAT DOING BUSINESS

AND THROUGH THE HONG TERRITORY WOULD ALSO HELP TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL CONFIDENCE IN KONG.

OF BRITAIN WAS FULLY AWARE

ITS DEEP RESPONSIBILITY TO THE

HE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG,

SAID,

AND THE JOINT DECLARATION BROUGHT NOT ONLY IN THE BRITAIN AND CHINA TOGETHER IN A COMMON ENTERPRISE, YEARS UP TO 1997, BUT THEREAFTER.

AN ACTION

PLAN, A BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS -

JOINT LIAISON GROUP WAS TURNING THIS BLUEPRINT INTO REALITY IN DETAILED, PAINSTAKING WORK.

HE DESCRIBED THE JOINT DECLARATION AS A COMMITMENT,

AND THE

/IN PARALLEL