XN000022-1990-03-20 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1990

"WE BELIEVE THAT THE OUTCOME

THE PROJECT SHOULD PROVIDE GOVERNMENT WITH A BASIS FOR DECIDING THE SCOPE OF ANY SHARED EDI

WHO SERVICE, FACILITIES, WHO SHOULD BUILD AND DEVELOP SUCH A MANAGE IT AND HOW IT SHOULD BE REGULATED," MR WONG ADDED.

SHOULD

CHAIRMAN OF ANNOUNCEMENT IMPORTANT TO

ALSO SPEAKING AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE, THE TRADELINK, MR ANTHONY CHARTER, WELCOMED THE GOVERNMENT'S AS "RECOGNITION OF OUR LONG-HELD VIEW THAT EDI IS SO HONG KONG'S FUTURE THAT NEITHER TIME NOR PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS ALLOW IT TO BE LEFT TO MARKET FORCES TO DEVELOP",

"THE BENEFIT OF EDI EXPERIENCE ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD HAS

A SHOWN US THAT

PARTNERSHIP APPROACH BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS THE RIGHT SOLUTION FOR HONG KONG, MR CHARTER SAID.

Н

OF

BUSINESS9

"TRADELINK REPRESENTS A BROAD SPECTRUM ORGANISATIONS WITH MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE HONG KONG MANUFACTURING, IMPORT/EXPORT, TRANSPORTATION AND BANKING ENVIRONMENTS.

"I BELIEVE WE CAN MAKE AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS ENSURING THAT THE EDI FACILITIES OFFERED IN HONG KONG MEET THE FUTURE NEEDS OF BOTH THE LARGE COMPANIES LIKE OURSELVES, AND THE SMALLER ONES WHO ARE OUR CUSTOMERS."

→

ANOTHER

THROUGH SPEDI, TRADELINK'S "GROUND BREAKING" WORK ON DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG EDI MESSAGES WILL CONTINUE

VITAL PART OF PREPARING FOR EDI IMPLEMENTATION. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW PARTICIPATING IN MESSAGE DEVELOPMENT WORK.

MR CHARTER SAID THE MOST IMMEDIATE AND IMPORTANT ASPECT OF TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT WAS THE GOVERNMENT'S DECLARATION OF ITS COMMITMENT TO MOVING AHEAD ON EDI IN HONG KONG.

BECAUSE

WHETHER

"MANY COMPANIES HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO PREPARE FOR EDI THEY WERE UNCERTAIN OF THE DIRECTION HONG KONG WOULD TAKE, OR THERE WOULD BE CONSENSUS ON USING INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS UNLESS GOVERNMENT TOOK THE LEAD.

"I HOPE TODAY'S ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE THE SPUR TO LOCAL BUSINESSES TO THINK ABOUT THEIR FUTURE AND START PLANNING NOW FOR EDI," HE SAID.

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