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The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, has paid tribute to the wisdom, diligence and entrepreneurial spirit of Hong Kong people at the opening today (Thursday) of the new state-of-the-art Hong Kong International Airport.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Tung said the new airport symbolised the brilliant prospects of Hong Kong and its people and their confidence in the future.

"The new airport is an amazing engineering project in which everyone in Hong Kong takes pride," Mr Tung told guests, who included President Jiang Zemin and Vice-Premier Qian Qichen.

"The new airport project is the largest investment item in the history of Hong Kong.

"With its completion and opening, the new airport not only caters for the needs of Hong Kong as it enters the next century but also consolidates Hong Kong's status as a transport hub and a major centre of trade, finance and tourism in the Asia-Pacific region.

"As the 21st century unfolds it is indeed encouraging to note that Hong Kong has made an early start in upgrading its facilities."

Mr Tung said the new airport - the centrepiece of the $155 billion Airport Core Programme - signalled the end of one journey and the beginning of another for Hong Kong.

"Following the completion of the new Hong Kong International Airport, the SAR Government has worked out development programmes of an even larger scale," he said.

"In the five years to come, the Government expects to invest $235 billion in a package of large-scale infrastructural projects including railways, highways and educational facilities.

"These major projects will commence very soon and proceed beyond the century. The objective is to strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong, to lay a more solid foundation for our long-term development and to create more job opportunities for the people of Hong Kong."

Mr Tung said the new projects would once again prove that Hong Kong is always a city of vigour and opportunities.

The Chief Executive paid tribute to the Airport Authority and all those involved in the construction of the new airport and other items under the Airport Core Programme.

"I congratulate you all on your accomplishment of an arduous task which has won world acclaim," he said.

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Note to Editors:

The full text of the CE's speech in English and Chinese will be issued through GNIS.

End/Thursday, July 2, 1998

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