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Following is the full text of the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, at the opening ceremony of Exhibition on "Sustainable Development in Hong Kong for the 21st Century" this (Monday) morning:

Ladies and gentlemen,

As you all know, environmental protection is always high on my agenda and it has been made one of the main themes of the Policy Address which I delivered two weeks ago.

In the Policy Address, I announced a range of measures to improve the environment, including improving the air quality to the standard of major cities in the world such as London and New York by the year 2005, speeding up sewage disposal projects to improve the water quality in the Victoria Harbour, and doubling the proportion of recycling of waste by 2007. The Government is fully committed to achieving these targets and we will provide sufficient resources to implement these measures.

We cannot solve environmental problems by our own effort alone, and I am pleased to announce that we have reached agreement with the Guangdong authorities to co-operate in six areas to jointly improve the air and water quality in the Pearl Delta Region.

One of the main reasons that we have to face up with a huge bill now to clean up the environment is we have neglected it for too long while pursuing social and economic progress over the years. To avoid repeating the same mistake, we must go for "sustainable development", meaning we must take into account the impact on environment, on the economy and other social factors when we plan and implement major projects and policies in future.

I am pleased with the result of the first stage consultation on SUSDEV 21, which took place last year. Based on the public views collected, our consultant has formulated a set of indicators for measuring and implementing sustainable development. In the next three months, the Planning Department will consult the public on these indicators and the measures to implement sustainable development in Hong Kong. I will encourage all of you to actively participate in the discussion. The Government will listen to your views and we are determined to make Hong Kong one of the best places to live for us and for our future generations. Thank you very much.

End/Monday, October 25, 1999

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