XN000022-1994-02-24 — Page 2

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1994

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GOVERNOR IN LEGCO

THE FOLLOWING IS THE STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNOR THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (THURSDAY):

MR PRESIDENT,

I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN BY REPORTING TO MEMBERS ON MY RECENT VISIT TO AUSTRALIA.

I PAID AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO AUSTRALIA, AT THE INVITATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, FROM 13-19 FEBRUARY. I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT FOR THE INVITATION AND FOR ARRANGING THE VISIT SO WELL AND SO GENEROUSLY.

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AUSTRALIA IS AN IMPORTANT TRADING PARTNER FOR HONG KONG. AUSTRALIAN COMPANIES OPERATE HERE, EMPLOYING 70,000 HONG KONG PEOPLE. TOTAL TRADE BETWEEN US ROSE 12% LAST YEAR. HONG KONG IS AUSTRALIA'S 7TH LARGEST EXPORT MARKET AND 10TH LARGEST TRADING PARTNER OVERALL. THERE ARE GROWING HUMAN CONTACTS BETWEEN OUR COMMUNITIES. ALMOST 10,000 HONG KONG STUDENTS ARE STUDYING IN AUSTRALIA, WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF AUSTRALIANS TEACHING AT OUR OWN UNIVERSITIES. 20,000 AUSTRALIANS LIVE AND WORK IN HONG KONG AND SOME 80,000 PEOPLE FROM HONG KONG NOW LIVE AND WORK IN AUSTRALIA. OVER 300,000 AUSTRALIANS VISITED HONG KONG LAST YEAR; AND OVER 120,000 HONG KONG PEOPLE VISITED AUSTRALIA.

MY VISIT TOOK IN SYDNEY, CANBERRA AND MELBOURNE. I HAD GOOD MEETINGS WITH PRIME MINISTER KEATING IN SYDNEY AND THE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SENATOR EVANS, IN CANBERRA. I ALSO HAD MEETINGS WITH THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL, MR HAYDEN, THE GOVERNORS OF THE STATES OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA, AS WELL AS WITH THE PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES AND THE DEPUTY PREMIER OF VICTORIA. I MADE FOUR PUBLIC SPEECHES AND I VISITED A NUMBER OF COMPANIES DOING CONSIDERABLE BUSINESS WITH US HERE IN HONG KONG. I ENCOURAGED FIRMS NOT ALREADY ACTIVE HERE ΤΟ CONSIDER USING HONG KONG AS A REGIONAL BASE. EQUALLY I WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE REASSURANCES TO THOSE FIRMS THAT ARE HERE THAT HONG KONG WOULD CONTINUE TO BE AN EXCELLENT PLACE TO DO BUSINESS. EVERYWHERE I WENT I FOUND ENORMOUS WARMTH AND UNDERSTANDING AMONG AUSTRALIANS

IN GOVERNMENT AND OUTSIDE IT FOR HONG KONG AND I FOUND AS WELL A GREAT DEAL OF GOODWILL FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE. AUSTRALIA IS A GOOD FRIEND ΤΟ HONG KONG. WE WARMLY APPRECIATE AND VALUE THE TIES OF FRIENDSHIP AND TRADE THAT LINK OUR COMMUNITIES. I HOPE THOSE TIES WILL GROW THE MONTHS AND YEARS AHEAD.

IN

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