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Following is the transcript of a media session given by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Donald Tsang, in Guangzhou on Thursday (September 27) evening (English portion):
Reporter: Mr Tsang, you've talked a lot about this planning group. Why is it so essential for this group to be set up?
Mr Tsang: We in Hong Kong are making heavy investment on our infrastructure including rail, port, airport and so on. At the same time, the Pearl River Delta authorities are also making heavy investment - light rail investment, port investment, underground railway investment and so on. I think it is utterly important for our mutual benefit to ensure that we know what each other is doing, so that we can have a more integrated infrastructural development planning process. It would be beneficial to both of us. It would help to prevent unnecessary and vicious competition on the one hand and it would also ensure that there would be no gap in our development profile. For that reason, I believe that for the planning experts to get together as soon as possible is beneficial to the large undertaking that we have engaged in and will be encouraging larger cooperation between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta of course.
Reporter: How essential are these infrastructure projects for Hong Kong's economy?
Mr Tsang: It is very important. Say for example in the case of railway development, in the coming years, we have already outlined our plans to build six different railway projects. Total investment is valued at a hundred billion dollars. Once we start work, they are going to create new job opportunities in excess of 30,000. We are looking at only a railway project development. There are infrastructural programmes as well. I'm sure there will be enormous significant economic benefits to Hong Kong.
Reporter: Earlier we heard Government views that greater cooperation between Hong Kong and Guangdong will help both economies to survive well in the impact arisen from the terrorist attack in the United States. Do you agree?
Mr Tsang: He's talking in general terms. I understood him saying that what is important to know is that there are enormous opportunities which would bring greater benefits to Hong Kong, and to the Pearl River Delta, in terms of infrastructural development, in terms of port development, in terms of railway development. For that reason, we will be much better equipped to handle, to deal with the challenges ahead, arising from economic setback, slowdown or other crisis.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
End/Friday, September 28, 2001
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