TNAG-2249-FCO40-3232-Hong-Kong-Trade-Development-Council-(HKTDC)-1991 — Page 5

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CONSUL-GENERAL'S ADDRESS TO HONG KONG TDC

OCT 91

"THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH JAPAN"

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great pleasure for me to be able to speak to you on this occasion, which has been organised by the Japan Society, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the

Hong Kong - Japan Business Co-operation Committee.

Today I would like to talk on the theme of "The Future of Hong Kong, and its Relationship with Japan". Under this heading, I would first like to talk about the two large economic spheres which surround Hong Kong, namely the Asia-Pacific Region and China, particularly the Southern Area of the mainland; and then, taking the future of Hong Kong into consideration, I would like to reflect on the relationship that exists between Hong Kong and

Japan.

(1, The Importance of Hong Kong in the Asia-Pacific Region)

With the dissolving of the world "cold-war" structure, which was perhaps, symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall, it is evident that the world is undergoing change from the bi-polar structure, of the East and the West, to a multi-polar set-up. The outbreak of the Gulf War, and the recent drastic changes in the