XN000022-1989-02-17 — Page 5

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1989

OFFICIALLY

OF CHINA IN A HIGH

"UNDER THE AGREEMENT (OR JOINT DECLARATION AS IT IS KNOWN) SIGNED BETWEEN BRITAIN AND THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC 1984 ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, THE HONG KONG SAR WILL ENJOY DEGREE OF AUTONOMY, HE SAID.

**

HE FURTHER POINTED OUT THAT HONG KONG'S CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN THE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE (GATT) WAS ASSURED IN APRIL 1986 WHEN HONG KONG BECAME THE 91ST CONTRACTING PARTY.

"HONG KONG ALSO ATTAINED SEPARATE MEMBERSHIP OF THE CUSTOMS

中韩

COOPERATION COUNCIL IN JUNE 1987, HE SAID.

THE

OF

ITS

LAST

TOKYO HONG

MR SZE SAID THE AUTONOMY OF HONG KONG IN

CONDUCT THE OPENING EXTERNAL COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WAS DEMONSTRATED SEPTEMBER OF THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC AND TRADE OFFICE (HKETO) IN

A FULL-FLEDGED GOVERNMENT WHICH WAS

OFFICE

FOR RESPONSIBLE KONG'S COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT.

LARGEST HE SAID THAT JAPAN, BEING THE THIRD

TRADING SECOND LARGEST SUPPLIER, FIFTH LARGEST MARKET, WAS IMPORTANT KONG.

PARTNER, TO HONG

GROWING CENT

IN 1987 LAST YEAR TO

BILATERAL TRADE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND JAPAN HAD BEEN STEADILY IN RECENT YEARS. TOTAL TRADE ROSE BY 31.6 PER MONTHS OF AND AGAIN BY 33.4 PER CENT IN THE FIRST 11 REACH $109.3 BILLION.

NARROW,

THE TO

AND JAPANESE

STILL HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO JAPAN WERE

KONG'S EXPORTS THERE WAS A NEED TO DIVERSIFY HONG MARKET, HE ADDED.

KONG WERE MR JAPAN,

ΤΟ

HONG NOTING THAT IN VALUE TERMS JAPAN'S EXPORTS TO ABOUT SEVEN TO EIGHT TIMES HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO SZE SAID THE HUGE BILATERAL TRADE DEFICIT WAS A MATTER OF CONCERN HONG KONG.

"WE THEREFORE WELCOME THE EFFORTS BEING MADE BY JAPAN UP ITS MARKET FURTHER," HE ADDED.

ΤΟ

OPEN

GOLDEN DRAGON TO MAKE DEBUT IN SAN FRANCISCO

A NEW HONG KONG-MADE GOLDEN DRAGON WILL BE THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF SAN FRANCISCO'S LUNAR NEW YEAR PARADE TOMMORROW (SATURDAY),

WEEK-LONG NEW YEAR

FESTIVITIES IN THE CITY'S CHINATOWN WILL CULMINATE WITH THE DEBUT OF AN 180-FOOT 'GUM LUNG", THE LATEST IN A SUCCESSION OF DRAGONS COMMISSIONED SINCE 1956 FROM HONG KONG BY THE CHINESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN SAN FRANCISCO.

/HAND CRAFTED