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Following is a speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, at the Inauguration Ceremony for the New Air Mail Centre at Chek Lap Kok today (Monday):

Robert, S H, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to be here today to officiate at the inauguration ceremony of Hongkong Post's new Air Mail Centre. This Centre forms an integral part of Government facilities at the new Airport.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government believes in free trade and adopts the free trade policy. In an extremely competitive world market, unfailing determination for improvement is the key to our success. Hongkong Post is one of our many good examples. It keeps on improving services to customers, with a view to strengthening Hong Kong's ability to compete in the world market.

Of the mail Hongkong Post handles, 90 per cent comes from the business sector. Efficient, reliable and cost-effective postal services that Hongkong Post provides are therefore important in maintaining Hong Kong as a leading business centre in the world. We fully recognise the importance of increased productivity and improved efficiency and the need for mechanisation and automation to meet changing market circumstances. Hence, our mail centres are purpose -built, our mail handling systems custom designed with automation and we have carefully planned the mechanisation to achieve maximum efficiency.

As part of our efforts to improve efficiency, the new Air Mail Centre will utilise state-of-the-art technology for processing all air mail items. Mail handling processes from sorting the bundle, wrapping and containerisation will be fully integrated and automated, ready for aircraft boarding. The new Centre will handle all inward and outward air mail streams. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week and supported by a team of 250 dedicated staff, it will handle about 548,000 pieces of mail daily at the initial stage and well able to handle mail traffic demand up to the year 2010.

The new Centre will bring our postal services into a new era. I think it would be enough to know what we can see with our own eyes during our tour of the Centre - that the state-of-the-art system will ensure that our postal services will be efficient and one of the most advanced in the world. It also reflects Hong Kong SAR Government's determination to continue to invest in economy. At a total cost of $566 million, the new Centre is a major project on its own. The fact that we have successfully completed it on time owes much to the tremendous performance of the consultants, the contractors, Hongkong Post and other Government Departments involved, in particular Architectural Services Department.

Nevertheless, the completion of the new Centre does not in any way mark the end of Hongkong Post's improvement initiatives. Like our business partners, Hongkong Post never stands still and knows that we need to maintain momentum to preserve our competitive edge and stay ahead of the game.

I offer my warmest congratulations to all who have contributed to the project. In less than a month's time, the new Airport will open and the new Air Mail Centre will start full operation. What we must continue to do is to keep a close eye on market demand, to work hard and to make the operation of the new Centre a success.

Thank you.

Photo: The Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang (right), Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman (centre) and Director of Architectural Services, Mr Pau Shiu-hung, unveiling a plaque at the inauguration ceremony of Hongkong Post's new Air Mail Centre at Chek Lap Kok.

End/Monday, June 8, 1998

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