XN000022-1995-07-06 — Page 13

-

12 -

By the end of this financial year, the Employees Retraining Board will have provided courses for more than 50,000 displaced workers.

The Hong Kong Productivity Council will be running over 600 training courses and giving consultancy support to over 1,000 projects.

The Industrial Support Fund will be providing over $200 million in assistance this year, and has already contributed nearly $500 million to develop over 100 projects.

The Governor added that exporters faced both physical and artificial bottlenecks at present with the port.

He said a quick resolution over the development of Container Terminal 9 would be in Hong Kong and the exporters' interest.

The Governor said: "I can give you my assurance that the Hong Kong Government today is fully committed to getting on with its work with enthusiasm and to ensuring that the Hong Kong SAR Government is as well placed as possible in 1997

-

well placed financially, well supplied with capable officers, well placed with ideas -

so as to carry on smoothly with the successful administration of Hong Kong."

End/Thursday, July 6, 1995

HK and New Zealand sign investment agreement

External investment has played a vital role in Hong Kong's development and has helped the territory to become an international centre for trade, finance and manufacturing, the Secretary for Trade and Industry. Mr Chau Tak-hei, said today (Thursday).

An Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) was signed in Hong Kong by Mr Chau, on behalf of the Hong Kong Government, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, the Rt Hon Don McKinnon, representing the Government of New Zealand.

Speaking at the signing ceremony. Mr Chau said in the manufacturing sector alone, accumulated inward investment grew from HK$30 billion in 1990 to over HK$40 billion in 1993.