Conference was beneficial for HK despite the disruption, says John Tsang There had been more pluses than minuses for Hong Kong resulting from this month's WTO meeting in the city, the commerce minister said yesterday. John Tsang Chun-wah admitted there had been some disruption to normality, particularly for people living on Hong Kong Island and for the Wan Chai area. 'We feel pretty bad about that. But overall, I think there have been more pluses than minuses for Hong Kong as a whole, particularly in the medium and longer term,' the secretary for commerce, industry and technology said. Mr Tsang also said Hong Kong had no plans to host another World Trade Organisation ministerial conference despite applause from some quarters at the way the city handled the week-long gathering of trade ministers, lobby groups and protesters. He said there was never an intention to play host a second time but added that the 18 months the government had spent preparing for the event helped see a 'very satisfactory' conclusion to the talks. Many businesses near the conference venue were forced to shut over the weekend two weeks ago after protest crowds of mainly South Korean farmers brought Wan Chai to a standstill. Hong Kong Retail Management Association chairman Bankee Kwan Pak-hoo warned that many shops hoping for a Christmas windfall instead suffered a drop in sales of more than 50 per cent. Mr Tsang said that business appeared to be getting back to normal, with more shoppers returning to the affected areas, but he would continue to monitor the situation over the next few days. Last Wednesday the government launched a free shuttle service between Golden Bauhinia Square and Wan Chai and Causeway Bay to boost business. Jackie Lee Jud-bun, general manager of the East Ocean group, which owns four restaurants in Wan Chai, said that the four-day Christmas weekend was a big help in bringing customers back. He said the conference week had cost the group $10 million. 'Business is returning and our Christmas receipts should be about 20 per cent better than last year,' Mr Lee added. A spokeswoman for jeweller Hang Fung Gold Technology said that despite the disruption caused by the WTO conference, business continued to be healthy, with one customer spending about $30,000 on a single purchase on Christmas Day. Mr Tsang said Hong Kong could expect benefits following the conference. 'If we are able to complete the Doha Round by the end of next year, we will gain quite a bit in terms of export of manufactured goods, export of services, which is our strong point, and we should be able to achieve that. 'We would have much stronger rules that would govern international trade and that benefits us tremendously. And so, putting it all together, it has been quite beneficial to Hong Kong, not to mention the positive international image that we will be able to achieve as a result of holding this conference.'
