XN000022-1993-11-18 — Page 2

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1993

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APEC: GOOD NEWS FOR THE REGION

THE SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MR TH CHAU, CAUTIONED THAT ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION (APEC) SHOULD NOT DIVERT TOO MUCH ATTENTION FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE URUGUAY ROUND.

MR CHAU IS LEADING THE HONG KONG DELEGATION AT THE THREE-DAY APEC MINISTERIAL MEETING WHICH BEGAN ON WEDNESDAY (SEATTLE TIME).

HE SAID HONG KONG WOULD ADVISE CAUTION REGARDING SOME OF THE MORE AMBITIOUS RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE PROPOSED APEC STATEMENTS,

REGARDING APEC'S ATTITUDE TOWARD EUROPE, HE EMPHASISED THAT MEMBER COUNTRIES WERE NOT "GANGING UP" ON THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND WOULD NOT USE APEC AS A TOOL TO DO SO.

LOOKING AT LONG-RANGE APEC ISSUES, MR CHAU SAID THE FACT THAT PRESIDENT CLINTON HAD CONVENED THE MEETING WAS A GOOD SIGN FOR BAST ASIA.

"WE DO WANT THE UNITED STATES TO CONTINUE TO BE ENGAGED IN ASIA AND PRESIDENT CLINTON'S DECISION TO HOLD THIS MEETING IS OBVIOUSLY AN INDICATION THAT HE HAS FOCUSED ON THE REGION AND APEC AND WANTS TO DO MORE. THAT IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE REGION, " HE SAID.

QUESTIONED BY THE MEDIA ON THE U.8./CHINA BILATERAL MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR LATER THIS WEEK BETWEEN PRESIDENT CLINTON AND PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN, MR CHAU SAID HE WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE FACT THAT THE TWO PRESIDENTS WERE MEETING.

"I THINK IT CAN ONLY BE BENEFICIAL TO U.S./CHINA RELATIONS FOR THEIR TWO TOP LEADERS TO MEET AND I HOPE THEY CAN ESTABLISH A RAPPORT 80 THAT THE ATMOSPHERE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES WILL CONTINUE ΤΟ IMPROVE."

MR CHAU'S ACTIVITIES DURING THE DAY INCLUDED BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH THREE APEC ECONOMIES - KOREA, SINGAPORE AND JAPAN.

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HE ALSO BRIEFED THE MEDIA ON HONG KONG'S PARTICIPATION IN APEC AND ATTENDED MINISTERIAL MEETINGS WITH SECRETARY OF STATE WARREN

CHRISTOPHER.

INTERNATIONAL

THE

A DINNER HOSTED BY THE WASHINGTON COUNCIL ON TRADE WITH A KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE CONCLUDED DAY.

MINISTERIAL MEETINGS CONTINUE ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, MR HAMISH MACLEOD, WILL ARRIVE IN SEATTLE ON THURSDAY EVENING IN PREPARATION FOR THE TWO-DAY APEC LEADERS CONFERENCE.

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