Containment of the spreading of severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS) is the most effective measure and the No.1 task in
revitalizing the economy, Hong Kong Financial Secretary Antony
Leung said Saturday.
Leung made the remarks after the first meeting of the Economic
Relaunch Strategy Group Saturday morning, which is comprised of
representatives from the business community, from the academics as
well as from the think tanks.
The financial secretary noted that the work of the strategy group
right now is to engage in the preparatory work to establish a plan
for relaunching the Hong Kong economy when the disease is
contained.
Leung said that they reached consensus during the first meeting
that the strategy group clearly recognizes and agrees that there
are really three phases in this exercise, namely crisis management,
reassurance and recovery.
If
they do not handle the response phase which is right now and the
reassurance phase well, the efforts to relaunch and to recover Hong
Kong would be very difficult, he said.
"And a premature relaunching of the Hong Kong economy and those
marketing and promoting efforts would not have the effects if we do
not go through and handle the response and reassurance phases
well," he noted.
(Xinhua News Agency May 11, 2003)