XN000022-1992-10-28 — Page 23

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1992

"THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD ON THESE WHILE DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE COMPETITION POLICY,

T

INITIATIVES

MR CHAU SAID.

WOULD

HE SAID AT THE PRESENT FORMATIVE STAGE, THE GOVERNMENT BE CONSIDERING A WHOLE RANGE OF ISSUES, INCLUDING FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT COMPETITION POLICY WAS BEST SUITED TO HONG KONG'S CIRCUMSTANCES.

MR CHAU ASSURED THE COUNCIL THAT IN THE COURSE OF DELIBERATION, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE VIEWS OF MEMBERS AND WOULD CONSULT OTHER RELEVANT ORGANISATIONS, SUCH

THE CONSUMER COUNCIL, IN ADDITION TO THE GOVERNOR'S BUSINESS COUNCIL.

TURNING TO THE REPRESENTATION OF THE GOVERNOR'S BUSINESS COUNCIL, HE SAID IT WOULD ACT AS AN ADDITIONAL SOURCE OF EXPERT ADVICE FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY,

*THE

ABSENCE OF NON-BUSINESS SECTORS ON THE COUNCIL DOES MEAN THAT THEIR VIEWS ARE UNIMPORTANT OR WILL BE IGNORED.

NOT

THE

"QUITE THE REVERSE. THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO SEEK VIEWS OF THESE SECTORS AND CONSULT OTHER ADVISORY BODIES WHEN A POLICY OR PROPOSAL AFFECTS THEIR SPECIFIC INTEREST, HE SAID.

THE MANY

11

ADVISORY BODIES WITH MULTI-SECTOR REPRESENTATION ALREADY PROVIDE THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE GOVERNOR WITH VALUABLE ADVICE, HE SAID,

"THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. THERE IS NO INTENTION AT ALL SIDESTEP THIS EXISTING NETWORK OF CONSULTATION," HE ADDED.

TO

ON CONCERN ABOUT THE LACK OF REPRESENTATIVES OF SMALL BUSINESSES ON THE COUNCIL, MR CHAU ASSURED MEMBERS THAT THE GOVERNOR'S MIND WAS OPEN ON THIS.

"THERE IS NO REASON WHY THE COMPOSITION AND MEMBERSHIP OF THE COUNCIL SHOULD NOT EVOLVE OVER TIME TO REFLECT CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES AND NEEDS, HE ADDED.

TURNING ΤΟ THE INDUSTRIAL POLICY, MR CHAU SAID THE ADMINISTRATION WAS COMMITTED TO ALLOWING THE FREE PLAY OF MARKET FORCES AND TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES WHICH THE OPENING UP OF CHINA HAD PRESENTED.

"THAT SAID, WE ARE COMMITTED TO SUPPORT INDUSTRY'S OWN EFFORTS TO IMPROVE ITS QUALITY, ITS EFFICIENCY, AND ITS DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF TECHNOLOGY," HE SAID.

IN ADDITION TO MAINTAINING A FAVOURABLE CLIMATE FOR BUSINESS AS A WHOLE, THE GOVERNMENT HAS INVESTED HEAVILY IN PROJECTS SPECIFICALLY TARGETED AT SUPPORTING INDUSTRIAL UPGRADING.

EXAMPLES ARE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A THIRD INDUSTRIAL TSEUNG KWAN O, THE WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTIVITY COUNCIL, THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW TECHNOLOGY CENTRE, AN ALLOCATION OF $200 MILLION FOR IN APPLIED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN INDUSTRY INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT'S INWARD INVESTMENT PROGRAMME.

WHICH

ARE

ESTATE AT HONG KONG

INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT AND THE

/ALSO, HE