XN000022-1990-05-28 — Page 2

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MONDAY, MAY 28, 19 )

VISIT TO NORTH AMERICA WELL WORTHWHILE: GOVERNOR

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THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, TODAY (MONDAY) VISIT TO NORTH AMERICA AS WELL WORTHWHILE AND SAID THE IMPRESSION HE HAD WAS THERE WAS MUCH SUPPORT FOR HONG UNITED STATES AND CANADA.

DESCRIBED HIS

OVERWHELMING KONG IN THE

DAVID SIR

SAID THE SPEAKING TO

AT THE AIRPORT, REPORTERS

DINNER IN THE TURNOUT OF 1,200 PEOPLE AT THE ASIA SOCIETY ANNUAL UNITED STATES WAS A MARK OF THE SUPPORT FOR AND INTEREST IN HONG KONG.

THE GOVERNOR SAID IN CANADA THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF INTEREST THE IN THE TERRITORY AND A GREAT DEAL OF WILLINGNESS TO BUILD UP ON COMMERCIAL AND PERSONAL LINKS THAT ALREADY EXISTED BETWEEN CANADA HONG KONG.

"WHAT WE MUST NOW DO IS TRY TO ENCOURAGE THE THOSE COMMERCIAL AND PERSONAL LINKS,

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HE SAID.

DEVELOPMENT

AND

OF

BETWEEN CANADA

SIR DAVID SAID HE DISCUSSED GENERAL RELATIONS AND HONG KONG WITH THE CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, MR BRIAN MULRONEY, AND THE WAY IN WHICH THESE HAD BUILT UP A LOT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.

PARTLY CANADA. BUT

"THERE ARE A LOT OF COMMERCIAL LINKS NOW AND THESE ARE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF EX-HONG KONG PEOPLE THERE ARE IN THEY GO MUCH WIDER THAN THAT.

"WE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE COULD BUILD ON THOSE AND I SUggested TO HIM, FOR INSTANCE, THAT CANADA MIGHT CONSIDER RUNNING A CANADA WEEK IN MIGHT DO THE HONG KONG NEXT YEAR, AND THEN THE YEAR AFTER THAT WE SAME. WE MIGHT RUN A HONG KONG WEEK IN CANADA, JUST TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONS, HE ADDED.

"I

UP ON

OF VIETNAMESE BOAT "I SAID THAT A CANADA, AND HERE IN

THE GOVERNOR ALSO DISCUSSED THE PROBLEM

AND PEOPLE

THE BRAIN DRAIN SITUATION, ADDING: SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE WERE LEAVING HONG KONG FOR ALTHOUGH IN MANY WAYS WE MIGHT LIKE THOSE PEOPLE TO REMAIN HONG KONG, I DIDN'T TREAT THIS AS BEING JUST A NET LOSS."

"IT WAS SOMETHING WHICH WE COULD TURN INTO AN ASSET SIDES, IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE PEOPLE WHO SETTLED IN CANADA THEIR HONG KONG CONNECTIONS TO BUILD UP COMMERCIAL LINKS, COULD BE USEFUL TO US IN HONG KONG AS WELL AS TO CANADA,

ON BOTH WOULD USE AND THAT

HE ADDED.

MOST NEWS FOR

ASKED TO COMMENT ON THE UNITED STATES' RENEWAL OF CHINA'S FAVOURED NATION TRADE STATUS, SIR DAVID SAID THAT WAS GOOD HONG KONG AND THAT HE WAS PLEASED THAT PRESIDENT BUSH RENEWED THE STATUS AND PUT IN HIS WAIVER.

MFN

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