TNAG-0947-FCO40-1166-Oil-developments-in-and-around-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 102

with

(4)

272.

Recommendations

We believe that it is in the mutual interests of Hong Kong and China for their economic relationship to be strengthened. This is dependent on the Hong Kong Government taking certain positive steps.

Accordingly

(a) having regard to Hong Kong's re-emerging role as an entrepot, we recommend that the various schemes of improvement to Hong Kong's transportation infrastructure and to the transportation links between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province (paragraph 268) be pursued with vigour;

(b)

(c)

in the interests of facilitating the exploitation of new oil fields in the South China Sea and of ensuring that Hong Kong shares in the benefits of this, we recommend

that the Government should plan actively for the provision of a site for a logistics support base (paragraph 271);

in the interests of facilitating the diversification of Hong Kong's industries,

we recommend that the feasibility of

establishing an oil refinery in Hong Kong should be re-considered (paragraph 271).

In these and other matters we consider that the Government has

a role to play in facilitating a series of dialogues between the relevant trading and political authorities in China and the local and international business community. And so we further

recommend

(d) that the Government should try to identify

more closely those opportunities for

167

/cooperative