XN000022-1991-11-20 — Page 27

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1991

26

FIRST VISIT BY HK GOVERNOR TO NEW ZEALAND

*

LIMITING

THE

THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY) THAT THE

TO

WAS TRANSFER

SOVEREIGNTY

NOT OF

1997 CHINA IN GOVERNMENT'S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG.

IN

AFFAIRS OF

SPEAKING TO THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL WELLINGTON, SIR DAVID SAID: "IN THE LAST FEW YEARS OF THE TIME BRITISH ADMINISTRATION IN HONG KONG, WE WILL DEVOTE ALL OUR EFFORTS TO SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHING THE NEW HONG KONG, THE POST 1997 HONG KONG,

PEOPLE PERIOD OF

I THINK MANY "IT REQUIRES AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF EFFORT.

FACED ADMINISTRATIONS

WITH A DEFINITE END TO THEIR EXISTENCE MIGHT SIT BACK AND SAY 'LET THINGS TICK OVER'.

OF

"WE HAVE CONSCIOUSLY TAKEN THE OPPOSITE DECISION, WE WILL FLAT OUT TO MAKE SURE THE NEW HONG KONG HAS THE BEST POSSIBLE TO SUCCEED," HE ADDED.

WORK

CHANCE

OF PROBLEMS, SIR DAVID SAID ALTHOUGH HONG KONG HAD ITS SHARE SUCH AS HIGH INFLATION, EMIGRATION WHICH WAS RUNNING AT ABOUT 60,000 A YEAR, IT WAS A PLACE OF ENORMOUS ENERGY, VITALITY AND DETERMINATION.

"IT IS NOT SOMEWHERE WHICH IS SIMPLY BOWLED OVER BY IT IS A PLACE WHICH IS DETERMINED TO TACKLE THOSE PROBLEMS. OF TERRIFIC OPPORTUNITY IN AN AREA, THE ASIA PACIFIC, WHICH FASTEST GROWING IN THE WORLD."

PROBLEMS, A PLACE IS THE

HE SAID HE HOPED MORE NEW ZEALAND FIRMS WOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE IN HONG KONG, NOT ONLY AS AN INTERNATIONAL AND THE TRADING AND FINANCIAL CENTRE, BUT AS A BRIDGE BETWEEN CHINA WORLD.

MAKE AN SIR DAVID, WHO IS THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG TO OFFICIAL VISIT TO NEW ZEALAND, MENTIONED SOME OF THE CONTRASTS BETWEEN PER THE TWO PLACES NEW ZEALAND WITH A POPULATION DENSITY OF JUST 12

OR SIX SQUARE KILOMETRE AND HONG KONG'S 5,400 PER SQUARE KILOMETRE MILLION PEOPLE IN AN AREA NO BIGGER THAN NEW ZEALAND'S STEWART ISLAND.

FEW

ON YEARS,

PROBLEMS.

-

RELATIONS WITH CHINA, THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT OVER THE

PARTICULARLY

SINCE

1989, THERE HAD

BEEN

A

PAST

NUMBER

OF

WE

"BUT WE HAVE STEADILY WORKED THROUGH THOSE DIFFICULTIES AND

MORE PRACTICAL ARE NOW BACK ON COURSE DEALING WITH MATTERS IN A FAR AND PRAGMATIC WAY THAN BEFORE, HE SAID.

11

WAS

SIR DAVID SAID ONE OF THE KEYS TO THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

WERE CONSTANTLY IN WHICH ITS ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH CHINA WAY

AND

THE FACT THAT THE

WAS CONSTANTLY

THE GROWING EXPANDING.

CHINESE

ECONOMY

TOMORROW

WITH MEETINGS (THURSDAY), SIR DAVID HAS A SERIES OF

MINISTER, SENIOR NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS INCLUDING THE PRIME

AND RICHARDSON, MR JIM BOLGER, THE FINANCE MINISTER, MRS RUTH MINISTER FOR TRADE NEGOTIATIONS, MR PHILIP BURDON.

THE

0

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