XN000022-1992-03-23 — Page 15

MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1992

14

REPORT ON OVERSEAS REPRESENTATIONS IN HK PUBLISHED

*

OVERSEAS

COMPANIES

ESTABLISHED 880

SURVEY A RECENT REPRESENTATIONS IN HONG KONG, ACCORDING TO A INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT.

HAVE

REGIONAL BY THE

THESE

REGIONAL

SURVEY OF

REGIONAL

REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS AND 278

IDENTIFIED

IN

INCLUDE 602

WERE WHICH OFFICES,

THE 1991 REPRESENTATION BY OVERSEAS COMPANIES IN HONG KONG.

THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF INDUSTRY, MR T.H. BARMA, SAID THIS THE SECOND IN A SERIES OF SURVEYS BY THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT TO REGIONAL REPRESENTATIONS BY OVERSEAS COMPANIES IN HONG KONG.

WAS

STUDY

1990, A TOTAL OF COMPANIES WERE IDENTIFIED

IN THE LAST SURVEY, WHICH WAS CONDUCTED IN 572 REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS OF OVERSEAS HONG KONG.

IN

HOWEVER, THAT THE MR BARMA EMPHASISED,

RESULTS OF THE TWO

NOT BE SURVEYS COULD

DIRECTLY COMPARED SINCE THE DEFINITION OF REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS HAS BEEN REVISED FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS CONCERNING THE SURVEY IN 1990.

RECEIVED

EXPANDED

то

OVERSEAS

BEEN "MOREOVER, THE SCOPE OF THE 1991 SURVEY HAS COVER REGIONAL OFFICES, WHICH ARE ALSO A VERY COMMON FORM OF REPRESENTATION IN HONG KONG, HE SAID,

++

CENTRE IN THE ASIA PACIFIC REGION.

BEEN MR BARMA SAID HONG KONG HAD LONG

AN IMPORTANT REGIONAL

AND

EXCELLENT EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS OVERSEAS COMPANIES NOT ONLY FOR OTHER

"ITS CENTRAL LOCATION

HAVE MADE HONG KONG ATTRACTIVE TO BUSINESS, BUT ALSO AS A CONVENIENT BASE FROM WHICH TO SUPERVISE OFFICES IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES.

HAS

PACIFIC BECOME

"WITH THE SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE ASIA

IN REGION

YEARS, RECENT

HONG KONG'S REGIONAL ROLE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT," HE SAID.

1980 AND 1984

MR BARMA SAID THE SURVEY REVEALED THAT BETWEEN AN AVERAGE OF 21 NEW REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS HAD BEEN OPENED EACH YEAR.

26

IN THE 'FROM 1985 TO 1990 THE AVERAGE NUMBER INCREASED TO 53. WHOLE OF 1990 AND THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 1991, A TOTAL OF 58 AND NEW REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS WERE SET UP RESPECTIVELY," HE SAID.

AT "ACCORDING TO THE SURVEY,

LEAST 61 MORE PLANNING TO SET UP REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS IN HONG KONG INTENDED TO DO SO IN 1991 OR 1992, " HE ADDED.

COMPANIES HALF OF

WERE THESE

RESPONDING MR BARMA SAID 61 OF THE

COMPANIES INDICATED THEY HAD MOVED THEIR REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS AWAY FROM HONG 1980.

KONG

THAT SINCE

/OF THESE,