XN000022-1991-02-28 — Page 9

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1991

MR BARMA SAID ACCORDING

то THE

OVERSEAS

CENT

OF

WAS

LATEST SURVEY OF PER INDUSTRIES, 67 INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG'S MANUFACTURING INVESTORS FELT THAT HONG KONG'S OVERALL MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENT FAVOURABLE.

THE ROUGH WITH THE THAT HONG KONG

"CLEARLY, INVESTORS ARE PREPARED TO TAKE SMOOTH AND, WHILE NOT CONCEALING THEIR WORRIES, FEEL HAS A GREAT DEAL TO OFFER, HE SAID.

"

CENT OF HONG KONG,

OF DEVELOPMENT

MR BARMA SAID THE SURVEY ALSO SHOWED THAT OVER 36 PER

PLANS TO EXPAND PRODUCTION IN HAD FOREIGN INVESTORS INCLUDING EXPANSION OF PRODUCTION CAPACITY, PRODUCTS AND INTRODUCTION OF NEW PRODUCTION PROCESSES.

"OVER HALF

SAY THEY WILL

NEW

CONTINUE TO

FROM THEIR OPERATE EITHER EXPANDING OR CUTTING EXISTING PREMISES IN HONG KONG WITHOUT

OUT PART OR ALL OF BACK ON PRODUCTION. ONLY A TENTH PLAN TO PHASE THEIR PRODUCTION, HE SAID.

F+

MR BARMA SAID ONE MAJOR TREND WAS THE RAPID GROWTH MANUFACTURING INVESTMENT IN HONG KONG.

OF

CHINESB

WHEN "SINCE 1985,

THE AMOUNT OF

FIRST

CHINESE INVESTMENT IT HAS SHOT UP AND IS NOW BECAME LARGE ENOUGH TO BE WORTH COUNTING, WORTH $3.2 BILLION, RANKING THIRD AFTER THE U.S. AND JAPAN," HE SAID.

A SIGN "APART FROM ITS INTRINSIC VALUE, CHINESE INVESTMENT IS

WELCOME SUCH OF CHINA'S OWN CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG'S FUTURE, AND WE PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS OF SUPPORT," HE ADDED.

MR BARMA SAID WE WOULD PROBABLY SEE MORE REGIONAL ESTABLISHED IN HONG KONG IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

HEADQUARTERS

MORE

RATHER DEMONSTRATED,

HONG KONG THAN ARE

IN 1990 "AS A SURVEY CARRIED OUT COMPANIES ARE MOVING REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS INTO MOVING OUT," HE SAID.

YEAR THE

WAS AN AVERAGE OF BETWEEN 1987 AND 1989, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE OVER 60 NEW REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS BEING SET UP IN HONG KONG EACH BY OVERSEAS COMPANIES. THIS TREND WAS CONTINUING UP TO THE END OF FIRST QUARTER OF 1990, WHEN THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED.

HAVE ESTABLISHED PAST TWO YEARS INCLUDE BRITISH AIRWAYS, FROM AMERICAN,

"THE MORE WELL-KNOWN OVERSEAS COMPANIES THAT REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN HONG KONG OVER THE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS, GENERAL MOTORS, BANK OF AMERICA, OLIVETTI AND YAOHAN, SHOWING STRONG OVERSEAS INTEREST BRITISH, ITALIAN AND JAPANESE COMPANIES.

BUT,

"OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE REGION MAY HAVE SOME REGIONAL

HAS WHICH BASE

NOT: HONG KONG ADVANTAGES WHICH THEY DO NOT HAVE," HE SAID.

ADVANTAGES AS EQUALLY,

WE

A HAVE

"SO I EXPECT WE WILL SEE A CONTINUING STRONG INTEREST KONG AS A REGIONAL BASE, HE ADDED.

"

IN

HONG

0

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