XN000022-1988-10-20 — Page 19

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1988

17

YEAR

HE SUGGESTED THAT HOSTING AN EXPO IN THE

2000 AND EVEN 2001 IN SOME WAYS COULD BE MORE DESIRABLE THAN HOSTING IT IN 1997.

ON

EVEN

COUNTRY,

THE ADVANTAGES INCLUDED THAT THE EYES OF THE WORLD WOULD BE HONG KONG FOR A FEW MORE YEARS AFTER 1997 SO THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE INCENTIVE FOR CHINA TO MAKE SURE THAT THE POLICY OF ONE

WORKING EFFECTIVELY IN TWO SYSTEMS WOULD BE SEEN BY THE WORLD TO BE HONG KONG DURING THE EARLY YEARS AFTER 1997.

FULL

OPERATION BY

THEN,

AND

THE NEW AIRPORT OUGHT TO BE IN WOULD THUS BE ABLE TO BRING TO HONG KONG MANY MORE OVERSEAS VISITORS.

THIS WOULD MEAN LESS

DISRUPTION

ΤΟ OVERSEAS BUSINESSMEN IN

COMING TO HONG KONG TO DO BUSINESS.

WITH

VISITORS,

IT WOULD MAKE

THE

OVERSEAS MORE

PROJECT RELY FINANCIALLY MUCH MORE VIABLE SO THAT HONG KONG WOULD NOT HAVE TO

AS ESTIMATED BY ON THE FIGURE OF THREE MILLION VISITORS FROM CHINA THE CONSULTANCY STUDY COMMISSIONED BY THE HON STEPHEN CHEONG.

2000 OR 2001 WOULD FURTHERMORE, HOLDING AN EXPO IN THE YEAR

MORE HOTELS GIVE HONG KONG MORE TIME TO PREPARE FOR IT, WOULD ENABLE

THE PROJECT ΤΟ FIT INTO TO BE BUILT, AND WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR HONG KONG'S NUMEROUS OTHER PROGRAMMES, MR LEE SAID.

NOT ΤΟ DISMISS ALSO LOOKING 2000 OR 2001," HE

"FOR THESE REASONS, I URGE THE ADMINISTRATION THE IDEA OF HOSTING AN EXPO IN 1997 OUT OF HAND WITHOUT

IT IN THE YEAR AT THE POSSIBILITY OF HOSTING CONCLUDED.

EXPO A SHOW OF CONFIDENCE

THE PROPOSAL TO STAGE AN EXPO IN HONG KONG IN 1997 WAS AN IMAGINATIVE, AMBITIOUS AND MAGNIFICENT IDEA.

AN EXPO WOULD BE A SHOW OF CONFIDENCE AND RESOURCEFULNESS то THE WORLD AT A TIME OF HISTORICAL CHANGE IN HONG KONG AND WOULD GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS STRENGTHENING THE TERRITORY'S STATUS

AN INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND FINANCIAL CENTRE.

AS

THE HON HỌ SAI-CHU SAID THIS IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (THURSDAY) WHEN SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE EXPO 1997 PROPOSAL.

/MR HO