XN000022-1992-11-10 — Page 5

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1992

"NO DEADLINE

DATES FOR PARTICULAR

PIECES OF WORK

MENTIONED BY SIR DAVID, A GREAT DEAL OF THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME ALREADY GOING AHEAD,

WERE IS

"ON THE AIRPORT RAILWAY, SIR DAVID SAID IF EVENTUALY THERE WAS NO AGREEMENT WITH THE CHINESE SIDE, THEN IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO CONSIDER HOW THE MTRC COULD IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION THROUGH THE NATHAN ROAD CORRIDOR TO TSING YI."

TH

HK RETURNS TO ENTREPOT ROLE

THE RAPID GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF GUANGDONG'S ECONOMY WILL PROVIDE AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG- GUANGDONG ECONOMIC RELATIONS.

THIS WAS STATED BY THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS, MR JAMES BLAKE, WHILE ADDRESSING A LUNCHEON MEETING TODAY (TUESDAY).

BETWEEN

HE SAID INFRASTRUCTURAL PROBLEMS SUCH AS CO-ORDINATION INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT ITEMS IN THE REGION WERE BEING ADDRESSED AND ONCE RESOLVED HONG KONG AND GUANGDONG SHOULD GROW RAPIDLY AND

DRAMATICALLY.

MR BLAKE NOTED THAT HONG KONG WAS RETURNING TO ITS ROLE AS AN ENTREPOT CITY AND HAD ASSUMED A NEW ONE AS A FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY AND INVESTMENT IN CHINA.

TRADITIONAL

CONDUIT FOR

HONG KONG IS TODAY RANKED AS THE WORLD'S 10TH LARGEST TRADING ECONOMY AND IN TERMS OF TRANSPORT FACILITIES HONG KONG'S CONTAINER PORT RANKS AS THE BUSIEST IN THE WORLD.

KAI TAK AIRPORT IS THE FOURTH BUSIEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT THE WORLD FOR CARGO AND THE FIFTH BUSIEST FOR PASSENGERS.

IN

"HONG KONG HAS BECOME A MAJOR FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS CENTRE WHICH WELCOMES TOURISM AND INVESTMENT AND IS THE REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS FOR MANY OPERATIONS AND ALL INDICATORS SUGGEST THIS IS GOING TO CONTINUE UNABATED FOR FORESEEABLE FUTURE.

"TO ACCOMMODATE THIS GROWTH AND TO PLAN FOR FUTURE GROWTH THIS ENTREPOT CITY IS UNDERGOING DRAMATIC EXPANSION TO ITS INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS, HE ADDED.

PROJECTS,

OUTLINING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW AIRPORT AND ITS RELATED THE FUTURE CONTAINER TERMINALS AND THE LAND TRANSPORT, MR BLAKE POINTED OUT THAT THIS WOULD ALL STRENGTHEN HONG KONG AS AN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CENTRE AND COMMUNICATIONS HUB, ABLE TO SERVE CHINA'S RAPIDLY EXPANDING ECONOMY, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTH.

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