XN000022-1994-10-09 — Page 2

1

-

NO FRESH BIDS FOR CT9

THE

STATEMENT FOLLOWING ENQUIRIES ON THE CT9 PROJECT:

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1994

IS ISSUED IN

TO RESPONSE

MEDIA

THE

THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INTEND TO CALL FOR FRESH BIDS FOR CT9 PROJECT, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, MRS ANSON CHAN, SAID TODAY (SUNDAY).

MRS CHAN POINTED OUT THAT THE BASIS OF THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION ON THE AWARD OF THE CT9 GRANT WAS ΤΟ INTRODUCE GREATER COMPETITIVENESS INTO HONG KONG'S CONTAINER TERMINAL

EXISTING OPERATORS FROM

THE PREVENT THEREBY DICTATING PRICES.

MONOPOLISING

OPERATIONS,

ΤΟ

THE MARKET

AND

A

"AFTER A CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF THE BIDS, AND WITH THE APPROVAL OF

BY COUNCIL,

WAY WE DECIDED TO DISPOSE OF CT9 THE EXECUTIVE PRIVATE TREATY GRANT TO THE EXISTING CONTAINER TERMINAL OPERATORS

NEW CONSORTIUM, THUS MEETING OUR OBJECTIVE OF INTRODUCING COMPETITION, MRS CHAN SAID.

OF

A

AND

MORE

IN

SUCH

"THE DECISION WAS TAKEN IN LINE WITH HONG KONG'S 'LEVEL PLAYING

FOLLOWED AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROCEDURES FIELD' POLICY, CASES BY THE GOVERNMENT FOR MANY YEARS.

DEPENDING

"INDEED, WE HAVE IN THE PAST DISPOSED OF CONTAINER TERMINAL FACILITIES EITHER BY PUBLIC TENDER OR PRIVATE TREATY GRANT, ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES PREVAILING AT THE TIME.

ANYTHING

OTHER

AND

AND

THE

"ΤΟ

SUGGEST THAT OUR DECISIONS WERE TAKEN ON THAN ECONOMIC OR FINANCIAL GROUNDS UNDERMINES BUSINESS CONFIDENCE

AND COMPETENCE OF INTEGRITY IMPUGNS THE OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN THE EXERCISE,

THE

GOVERNMENT,

"WE ARE SATISFIED THAT THE EXERCISE WAS CONDUCTED NORMALLY

NOTHING HAS HAPPENED PROPERLY AND IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF HONG KONG. IN THE MEANTIME TO CAUSE US TO CALL FOR FRESH BIDS FOR CT9."

AND

VISIT ΤΟ

то

MRS CHAN, WHO LEAVES TODAY FOR AN OFFICIAL TWO-WEEK CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES, SAID THE PURPOSE OF HER MISSION WAS

PROVIDING BOOST HONG KONG'S IMAGE AS AN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CENTRE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR BOTH FOREIGN AND LOCAL BUSINESSMEN, SO AS TO PROMOTE INVESTOR CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG AND ITS FUTURE.

THAT EXPLAIN LEADERS

"THIS

STATEMENTS TASK IS NOT MADE EASIER BY SOME OF THE HAVE BEEN MADE ON THIS ISSUE. I WILL TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THE POSITION TO THE SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND CORPORATE I MEET IN BOTH COUNTRIES, SHE SAID.

+4

ALREADY POINTED MRS CHAN SAID AS THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY HAD

FARLY OUT, EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST IN THE CT9 PROJECT WERE INVITED IN 1992, WHICH RESULTED IN FIVE SUBMISSIONS.

TERMINAL

ONE WAS REJECTED BECAUSE OF LACK OF PROVEN CONTAINER

THE TWO MAJOR EXPERTISE. THREE OF THE OTHER SUBMISSIONS INVOLVED EXISTING TERMINAL OPERATORS, MODERN TERMINALS LIMITED (MTL) AND KONG INTERNATIONAL TERMINALS (HIT), IN VARYING COMBINATIONS.

HONG

/THE OTHER