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there would be a strong UK component in the ancillary equipment. If, as seemed likely, the decision was for a PWR reactor this would have to be supplied from a country other than the UK. Mr Wang
said that he knew that many UK firms were well-known for their electrical engineering, particularly turbines. He thought Rolls-Royce were leaders in this field. The Governor said that
there were a number of UK firms which had long experience with turbines.
Shenzhen special economic zone (SEZ)
6.
He
The Governor asked how the Shenzhen SEZ was progressing. understood that there was a new leadership. Mr Wang said that Mr Wu Nansheng had been sent from Guangzhou to take charge of the SEZ. However, Shenzhen's importance should not be over-emphasised. It was very difficult to build a new town from scratch and Shenzhen did not have the same favourable conditions as, for example, Shatin. It was quite a distance from Guangzhou and also from the urban areas of Hong Kong. The Governor suggested that it was an example of the concept of satellite towns. Mr Wang said laughingly that he did not know whether it was a satellite of Guangzhou or of Hong Kong.
7.
Mr Wang referred to remarks which had been made earlier that day at a discussion in Hong Kong by the noted economic theorist from Peking, Mr Xue Muqiao, that special economic zones were of limited significance to the development of China's economy. Mr Xue had urged investors to think of Guangdong Province. The Governor asked if it was better for people in Hong Kong to invest in Shenzhen or in Guangzhou. Mr Wang said that both were desirable, but immediately qualified this remark by saying that the view of Hong Kong businessmen was what counted. The most important ones were investing in Guangzhou rather than Shenzhen.
Immigration
8. The Governor referred to the problems of immigration and the changes which were to be introduced for dealing with the problem of illegal immigrants. Mr Wang said that Hong Kong had been too lenient to illegals (and too strict on legal immigrants). Allowing illegals to register made it very difficult for China to reduce the outflow.
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