XN000022-1996-05-09 — Page 4

3.

"A key message that we will put across is Hong Kong's position as a gateway to China and our strong economic position in the Asia-Pacific region both now and after 1997," he said.

During the visit, he would call on senior government officials and meet leading local businessmen and the local media.

He would also officially open Hong Kong's Economic and Trade Office in Singapore, where the secretariats of two prominent regional economic forums in which Hong Kong participated actively the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) and the Pacific Economic Co-operation Council - were established.

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"I hope my forthcoming trip to our three Southeast Asian APEC neighbours serves to underline the efforts which the Government is making in promoting our business opportunities in the region and in strengthening our official and business ties within the APEC community", Mr. Tsang concluded.

End

FS's media session

Following is the transcript of the remarks by the Financial Secretary. Mr Donald Tsang, after consultation with Legislative Council members on the expenditure proposals for the 1997-98 Budget this (Thursday) afternoon :

FS: I have just completed seven rounds of meeting with Legislative Councillors on the expenditure side of the coming year's Budget. The meetings have been exceedingly useful. Some groups of the Legislative Councillors have in fact given us written suggestions on how I should spend the coming year's resources. We have discussed also possible areas in which savings could be made. Unfortunately on this matter councillors have spent less time on, and have given me less specific ideas. But there was a common position that in order to find more resources to meet with community aspirations in the year ahead, not only we have to spend the new resources carefully, we have to find ways to make savings from existing services in order to create larger pool of resources. That was the common position. Now we have got the ideas from Legislative Councillors, what my colleagues and I would be going to do would be to analyse these proposals and put these proposals to various policy branches. They are going to examine them and in the light of public response as well and public comments on these proposals, they will be going to make bids for resources in the coming Resources Allocation Exercise. The whole exercise has been very smooth and I am very happy with the outcome.

End