XN000022-1994-02-01 — Page 4

3.

TUESDAY, FEPRUARY 1, 1994

THAT

GOVERNOR: WE WANT TO PROCEED ON THE WHOLE PROJECT BUT I REALISE THERE ARE SOME PARTICULAR CONCERNS NOT LEAST THOSE EXPRESSED BY THE RESIDENTS OF TSING YI ABOUT THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THEM AND CENTRAL. THEY POINT OUT THE EFFECT WHICH THEY BELIEVE THAT WOULD HAVE, NOT ONLY ON THEIR TRAVELLING TIME BUT ALSO IN RELIEVING CONGESTION IN THE NATHAN ROAD CORRIDOR. THOSE ARE ARGUMENTS THAT I TOUCHED ON WHEN I SPOKE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. WE ARE ALWAYS PREPARED TO LOOK AT THOSE SORTS OF ISSUES CONSTRUCTIVELY BUT I THINK WHAT HONG KONG WANTS TO SEE IS THE WHOLE PROJECT, AIRPORT RAILWAY AND AIRPORT, FINISHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

QUESTION: HOW WOULD YOU CONVINCE CHINA TO ACCEPT THIS PROPOSAL?

GOVERNOR: I HOPE THAT IF CHINESE CONCERNS WERE WHAT THEY SAID THEY WERE THAT THEY WOULD FIND THIS AN EXCELLENT LUNAR NEW YEAR PRESENT FOR HONG KONG, FOR CHINA, FOR EVERYONE. IT'S A VERY GOOD PACKAGE AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT IT WILL DO THE TRICK. THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED.

HONG KONG INC AT DAVOS

AS PART OF ITS PROGRAMME FOR PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNITY, THE HONG KONG

HONG KONG AMONG THE GOVERNMENT ORGANISED BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT PRESENCE AT THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM'S ANNUAL MEETING AT DAVOS, SWITZERLAND, DURING THE PAST WEEK.

A MIXED

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FOR THE SEVENTH YEAR RUNNING, A STRONG "HK INC" TEAM TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE WORLD'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS GATHERING OF GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS AND ACADEMIC LEADERS.

MORE THAN 600 PARTICIPANTS FOLLOWED A RICH CONTAINING SOME 500 EVENTS OVER THE FIVE-DAY MEETING.

PROGRAMME

THE SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MR CHAU TAK-HAY, LEADER OF THE HONG KONG DELEGATION, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY, UK TIME) THAT IT WAS BOTH ENCOURAGING AND REASSURING THAT HONG KONG CONTINUED TO BE A POWERFUL MAGNET FOR BUSINESSMEN AT A TIME WHEN, IN THE WORDS OF ONE PARTICIPANT, "THE HERD IS STAMPEDING TOWARDS THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN ASIA."

MR CHAU EVIDENCED THE RESPONSE HE HAD RECEIVED AT TWO DINNERS WHICH HE HOSTED IN THE MARGINS OF THE MEETING. "MORE THAN 100 LEADERS OF SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN COMPANIES ACCEPTED OUR INVITATION AND SHOWED GREAT INTEREST IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.

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MR CHAU ALSO JOINED THE SELECT, CLOSED-DOOR, BRAINSTORMING SESSION OF WORLD ECONOMIC LEADERS WHICH IS AN ANNUAL FEATURE OF THE MEETING.

TWENTY PRESIDENTS AND PRIME MINISTERS AND MORE THAN 40 TRADE AND FINANCE MINISTERS WERE IN DAVOS OVER THE WEEKEND AND MR CHAU WAS WELL PLACED TO PUT HONG KONG'S VIEW ON SOME OF THE CURRENT ISSUES ON THE WORLD TRADE AGENDA.

/OTHER MEMPERS