Montreal engineers and financiers were today (May 5) urged to capitalise on their expertise and compete for the lucrative infrastructural projects worth billions of Canadian dollars in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

This message was given by the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Mr. Donald Tong, when he addressed business and community leaders, and government officials at a luncheon organised by the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association, Montreal Section.

Mr. Tong stressed that the SAR Government welcomed participation from all corners of the world in its capital projects as well as investments. "We practise level playing field as all government contracts are put out to open tender."

He pointed out that there are ample opportunities for Canadian firms wishing to take part in the SAR's massive infrastructural programme which is entering a new phase following the completion of the Airport Core Programme Projects - one of the world's largest civil engineering project.

The Hong Kong SAR Government recently announced that it will invest in the next four-and-a-half years C$43.5 billion in infrastructural developments to stimulate economic growth, raise competitiveness and create more jobs.

"These new projects will be of a much larger scale and will exceed the new airport projects which cost a total of C$29 billion," he said, adding that our new international airport at Chek Lap Kok will be opened to traffic on July 6.

Mr Tong then outlined the various planned major road projects which are expected to cost a total of C$4.6 billion. They include the widening of the Tolo Highway in the New Territories and the Eastern Island Corridor on Hong Kong Island etc.

On railway development, Mr Tong said more than C$20 billion has been set aside for projects which include the West Rail, the Tseung Kwan O extension of the Mass Transit Railway, the Ma On Shan Link, and another railway linking Hung Hom to Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon, with the possibility that this will be extended under Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong island.

The biggest of these projects is the 54-kilometre West Rail which will run from Kowloon west to the border where a new crossing will be established to connect with the mainland China's rail system.

In addition, the government has commissioned consultants to carry out feasibility studies on the construction of two more highways, and create a blueprint for transport infrastructure for the next decade, including the Third Comprehensive Transport Study to assess the overall transport needs.

Turning to Hong Kong's prized natural asset -- the harbour, Mr Tong told the audience that to cope with increasing demand for container facilities, a new container terminal is being built at Tsing Yi for completion by mid-2001. In the longer term, a completely new container port on Lantau Island with twice the capacity of the present port at Kwai Chung is being planned. Hong Kong currently operates the busiest container port in the world and handled 14.6 million twenty-foot-equivalent units last year.

"Building this new port, on a series of artificial islands stretching southeast from north Lantau, will be one of the world's biggest civil engineering projects," he pointed out, emphasizing that the new facility is also vital for southern China as more than 64 per cent of the cargoes passing through Hong Kong is entrepot trade with mainland China.

On the provision of adequate housing, Mr. Tong said Hong Kong has one of the most ambitious housing programmes in the world because the Government and the private sector plan to build 85,000 housing units a year.

In conclusion, Mr. Tong gave an assurance that Hong Kong, which he described as "a hub of infrastructural developments of unparalleled global significance", will not backout from its commitment despite the recent financial turmoil which battered many southeast Asian economies.

For further information, please contact Mr. Frank Chuan, Chief Information Officer or Mr. Stephen Siu, Senior Information Officer of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at (416)924-5544. Our website address is www.hketo.ca and e-mail address is [email protected]