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The following is the transcript of the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology (SCIT), Mr Henry Tang, talking to the media on the JCK's decision to have HK exhibitors taking part in the JCK Show - Las Vegas 2003 at the Main Wing of the Central Government Offices today (May 13):
Reporter: Would you please comment on the JCK's decision in the US ...?
SCIT: I think we have been very proactive in the last couple of months to contact the organisers of each and every exhibition that we are participating in, in order to give them the latest and most updated information regarding SARS. I think we have been quite successful through the joint efforts of our Economic and Trade Offices overseas to give them those facts so that many of them have been able to participate. I believe the joint effort is beginning to pay off, it has paid off. I think through our continued effort, it will continue to pay off.
Reporter: The Government is so pro-active, why has this incident happened?
SCIT: Actually there is a background to this. The background is every exhibition, there are buyers and there are sellers. We are the sellers. The exhibitors have to cater for the needs of the buyers as well as the sellers. In this case we have contacted them well in advance last week and given them all the updated information which they are quite satisfied with. But it so happens that the buyers have exerted tremendous pressure on the organiser. And the organiser has been caught between the rock and the hard place, so to speak. Therefore they make this arrangement. But through our additional lobbying and through the efforts of our Government and also the efforts and the very clear support from the US Government as well as the Nevada Government, the organiser has decided to see things in a more reasonable way.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion)
End/Tuesday, May 13, 2003
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