TNAG-2248-FCO40-3231-Trade-investment-conferences-concerning-Hong-Kong-1991 — Page 90

containers

In 1990, Hong Kong's loading and unloading volume of

reached 5.1 million standard containers,

second only to Singapore, ranking the second in the

world.

Hong Kong is an international tourism centre:

In 1990, 5.93 million tourists visited Hong Kong

this figure is bigger than its local population.

and

Although Hong Kong is known for far more than the

above-mentioned

centres", yet they are

"international

more than sufficient to explain why Hong Kong can always

maintain its international balance of payments in spite

of trade deficits.

People might ask: You have listed so many

what about their prospects after 1997? I can tell

any hesitation that the Chinese

without

"centres",

you

Government,

in

Hong

formulating its principles and policies vis-a-vis

Kong, has taken full account of and made due arrangements

for this. In the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

to be implemented as of 1 July 1997, adopted and

promulgated by the National People's Congress last year,

reliable legal guarantees have been provided for the

maintenance and development of a series of "international

centres".

For instance, the Basic Law stipulates in Article

that

the

Government

6

of the Hong Kong

109

Special

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