-OF-PRIVS
over backwards to avoid any charge of pro-British bias in the
award of contracts, and in doing so succeeds in giving UK
دار
industry the impression rightly or wrongly that they are at a
A positive Government gesture with the publicity
disadvantage.
this would attract would help to redress the balance.
5.
Some
Between 1964 and 1969 the Japanese share of the growing
Hong Kong market rose from 17.8 per cent to 23.4 per cent.
Our share fell from 9.6 per cent to 8.1 per cent. Thus
although our exports are expanding we are losing ground.
major public sector contracts secured by the Japanese recently
include the Kai Tak airport extension, a pilot desalination
project and a share of the container port berths. They are
mounting a determined effort to win the contract for the
underground railway if the Hong Kong Government decides to go
ahead. I agree with Anthony Royle that anything we can do to show
our interest and concern in these matters and to win the goodwill
of the Hong Kong Government and the Advisory Councils on which
many businessmen serve will be timely and likely to pay dividends.
6. In the private sector the engineering industries are playing
an increasingly important part in Hong Kong's efforts to
diversify her economy and to improve her image which has tended
to be that of a low cost, low quality producer. For this the
need is to train more sophisticated engineers and to re-equip
with more sophisticated machinery. The need is becoming urgent
because of the pressure of rising wages, increased competition
from other countries in the region, plus the impending political
and economic developments which are likely to result in Hong Kong
/being
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