Investors `not put off' by bad air (STANDARD) 09月 06日 星期四 05:30AM
Foreign investors have not been put off by reports of Hong Kong's declining air quality, an adviser to the Sustainable Development Council said yesterday.
He was responding to a recent environmental report by the American Chamber of Commerce which said overseas professionals were refusing to relocate to Hong Kong because of the poor air quality.
The report also said 57 percent of the chamber's 89 members would probably invest more money elsewhere.
But the council's subcommittee chairman Otto Poon Lok-to said more multinational companies were moving their headquarters to Hong Kong.
According to InvestHK, 1,228 companies set up regional headquarters in Hong Kong last year, a 5 percent increase compared with 2005.
Poon said the Amcham report may be correct with regard to its own members but did not reflect the whole picture of foreign investment.
Despite positive investment trends, Poon agreed the problem of poor air quality was one that had to be tackled. "Whether or not foreign investment is discouraged, we should work harder to improve our air quality," he said.
The council sent out public questionnaires in June on air quality and other matters.
Poon said since then three public forums have been held and 6,300 replies from the public had been received in the consultation which ends in October.
SCARLETT CHIANG