XN000022-1994-01-05 — Page 7

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1994

COULD

NOT QUESTION: MR PATTEN, LAST WEEK SECRETARY SO SAID THAT HE THINK OF A SINGLE EXAMPLE IN WHICH CHINA HAD ACTUALLY INTIMIDATED THE PRESS HERE IN HONG KONG. ALL OF US HERE OBVIOUSLY CAN THINK OF QUITE A NUMBER OF EXAMPLES, PARTICULARY SOME JOURNALISTS HAVE BEEN HELD JAIL IN CHINA WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY GOOD INTIMIDATION TACTIC. THAT YOUR FEELING AS WELL, SIR?

GOVERNOR: EXAMPLES

BOW ΤΟ

IN

19

TO

A

AS

THE EXPERTS, YOU'RE THE EXPERTS. IF THERE ARE I HOPE THAT JOURNALISTS WHO ARE AS COMMITTED AS I AM FREE PRESS WILL MAKE CLEAR WHAT THOSE EXAMPLES ARE. WHAT I RECALL I SAID EARLIER IS THE EVIDENCE GIVEN BY THE NEWSPAPER SOCIETY TO THE LEGCO PANEL.

I'VE READ INTERESTING SPEECHES AND ARTICLES BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HONG KONG JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION, I'VE HEARD GOSSIP ON THE GRAPEVINE AS YOU'VE DONE. 1 THINK THAT WE WANT TO PREVENT OUR FREE PRESS BEING ERODED BY OUTSIDE INFLUENCE OR OUTSIDE PRESSURES. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WHICH ALL OF US SHOULD TAKE AS A COMMON CAUSE. HONG KONG IS A VERY SPECIAL PLACE AND A FREE PRESS IS PART OF OUR UNIQUENESS AND OUR ATTRACTION. RTHK, A SHORT WHILE AGO, DID WITH SOMB OF OUR TERTIARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS A POLL ON FREEDOM OF THE IN WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE EXPRESSED ANXIETY ABOUT FREEDOM OF THE

IN THE FUTURE. DECLINING

WE ONLY STOP THAT HAPPENING IF WE ARE ALL ABSOLUTELY ON OUR GUARD TO PREVENT IT HAPPENING AND THAT'S WHAT I HOPE YOU IN PARTICULAR WILL BE.

PRESS

PRESS

THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED. I AM SORRY THIS HAS GONE ON SO LONG AND HAS KEPT YOU FROM YOUR TEA. I AM

PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL

ONCE

INFORMATIVE AGAIN TO TVB FOR GIVING ME SUCH AN ENTERTAINING AND

AND AFTERNOON

FOR INTRODUCING MB ONCE AGAIN TO THE WONDERS OF THE INFORMATION REVOLUTION.

INDUSTRY CHANGING TO HK'S ADVANTAGES: STI

THE CLOSE ECONOMIC INTER-DEPENDENCE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA HAS ENABLED HONG KONG TO BECOME THE NERVE CENTRE FOR MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS IN SOUTHERN CHINA, SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MR TH CHAU, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SPEAKING AT A SEMINAR ORGANISED BY THE CHINESE GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, HE SAID SINCE THE OPENING OF CHINA IN 1979, HONG KONG'S INDUSTRIALISTS HAD MADE CONSIDERABLE USE OF THE LOWER LABOUR AND LAND COSTS IN SOUTHERN CHINA FOR LOW COST, HIGH VOLUME AND LABOUR INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES AND FOR THE OUTWARD PROCESSING OF GOODS.

NOTING THAT THE MOVEMENT OF INDUSTRIES TO SOUTHERN CHINA HAD SOMETIMES BEEN VIEWED IN NEGATIVE TERMS, HE SAID THIS MISCONCEPTION COULD NOT BE MORE WRONG.

"MANUFACTURING IS

IMPORTANT AND IS GOING STRONG. IT IS THE PRODUCTION IN OUR FACTORIES HERE IN HONG KONG AND IN SOUTH CHINA THAT KEEPS OUR TRADERS SO BUSY, OUR PORT SO FULL AND OUR SERVICES SECTOR SO BUOYANT, HE SAID.

"I

HR CHÂU