TNAG-1951-FCO40-2779-British-capital-investment-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 122

1989-03-16 14:52 BRITISH TRADE COMMISSION

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British Investment in Hong Kong

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4.

A considerable amount of British investment in Hong Kong is in well-

established companies and groups some of which have tended over the years, to

assume more of a Hong Kong identity They remain British controlled and

managed but they also project a local image. They include the present Hong

Kong Telecom Company (75% owned by Cable and Wireless plc), Swire Pacific (27%

owned by the John Swire Group) and Jardines (controlled by the Keswick family

of Britain). There are other large groups in Hong Kong that remain clearly

they include Standard Chartered, Inchcape, British-American Tobacco

and Shell. There are many smaller British companies. There are also a number

of large Hong Kong groups that are not controlled by British investors but are

directed or managed by a substantial number of British personnel,

include the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank and the Kadoorie Group.

British

These

5.

It is difficult to establish a comprehensive figure for the total value of

companies owned, controlled or influenced from Britain. However, a review of

annual reports (mostly for the year 1987) supplemented by some information

given in confidence, confirms that:

British companies have net assets in Hong Kong worth between £2,500m and

£3,000m. This includes the total net assets of companies wholly owned from

Britain and an appropriate proportion of the net assets of companies partly

owned and controlled from Britain.