TNAG-2016-FCO40-2871-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Japan-1990 — Page 251

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BUT WE ALSO LOOKED TO FRIENDLY COUNTRIES TO HELP. WE HAD OUR OWN MASSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE PLANS, INCLUDING PORT EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT. I BRIEFFD HIM ON PADS

O

INTERNATIONAL

IN SOME DETAIL. THESE PLANS WOULD PROVIDE MAJOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES WE ALSO PLANNED TO INCREASE EDUCATIONAL OPPORT-

TRAINED PEOPLE TO UNITIES FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE. WE NEEDED MORE ENABLE HONG KONG TO DEVELOP AS A HIGH-TECHNOLOGY/SERVICE CENTRE. BUT WE ALSO NEEDED TO MAINTAIN AND INCREASE INVESTMENT, AND OUR INTERNATIONAL TRADING LINKS, IN ORDER TO BUILD UP HONG KONG AS AN INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL AND TRADING CENTRE AND THUS CREATE A FIRM FOUNDATION FOR ITS FUTURE. SAID THAT THE JAPANESE HAD A HIGH REGARD FOR THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.

AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS

NAKAYAMA

IN THE CONTEXT OF BUILDING UP HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC AUTONOMY I

JAPANESE COULD SAID THAT THERE WAS ONE SPECIFIC AREA WHERE THE HELP. WE NEEDED TO BUILD UP SEPARATE ASAS FOR HONG KONG BEFORE 1997. WE WERE KEEN TO NEGOTIATE AND SIGN AN ASA WITH THE JAPANESE

A MAJOR MARKET FOR AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE, BECAUSE JAPAN WAS HONG KONG AND A MAJOR COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER. NAKAYAMA SIMPLY SAID THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT HAD STARTED TO STUDY THIS

QUESTION.

APEF

5. I SAID THAT ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE NEEDED TO ESTABLISH HONG KONG'S AUTONOMY WITHIN THE TERMS LAID DOWN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, WAS THROUGH INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT OF OUR

PARTICIPATION IN MAJOR ECONOMIC INITIATIVES SUCH AS APEF. NAKAYAMA ASKED IF WE WOULD LIKE JAPANESE SUPPORT TO ENABLE US TO PARTICIPATE IN FUTURE ROUNDS. I SAID THAT WE WOULD. IT MADE NO/NO SENSE

TO EXCLUDE HONG KONG FROM ASIA/PACIFIC ECONOMIC DISCUSSIONS.

1997.

WE WERE HE ELEVENTH LARGEST TRADING ENTITY IN THE WORLD. AUTONOMY IN DE LING WI ECONOMIC MATTERS WAS WRITTEN INTO THE JOINT DECLARATION: BUT WE NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT THIS WAS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED AS ACCEPTED INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE WELL BEFORE THIS WAS VERY IMPORTANT. WE WERE FLEXIBLE AS TO THE MANNER OF OUR PARTICIPATION. NAKAYAMA SAID THAT THE IMPORTANCE THAT JAPAN ATTACHED TO HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC POSITION WAS PROVED BY THE FACT THAT JAPAN HAD ALREADY INVITED HONG KONG TO THE GATT MINISTERIAL FORUM TO BE HELD IN JAPAN LATER THIS MONTH. SOME 27 STATES/ TERRITORIES WOULD ATTEND. FROM TIME TO TIME THE JAPANESE WOULD TAKE SUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES TO MENTION TO THE IMPORTANCE THEY ATTACHED TO THE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

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