MS goes where antitrust is nonexistent.

Henry C.K. Liu hliu at mindspring.com
Tue Mar 9 07:00:25 PST 1999


South China Morning Post Tuesday March 9

Gates pledges Microsoft role in Cyberport (Hong Kong)

Updated at 7.33pm:

Microsoft guru Bill Gates on Tuesday

pledged his company's support to Hong

Kong's $13 billion Cyberport project.

The news came as the software giant

announced a much predicted multi-media deal

with Hongkong Telecom.

And it provides a major boost to the SAR's

hi-tech aspirations, made public in last week's

Budget speech by Financial Secretary Donald

Tsang Yam-kuen.

''The Cyberport is important because it is a

signal that there is a great opportunity for

entrepreneurial businesses,'' Mr Gates told a

news conference.

''It is important for Hong Kong to participate

in that.''

The Cyberport is envisioned as an

international multi-media and information

services centre which would attract new

buildings equipped for high-speed, broadband

services.

Mr Gates, who met with Hong Kong Chief

Executive Tung Chee-hwa earlier in the day,

said Microsoft was willing to provide

engineers and architects to aid the proposed

Cyberport.

"We will participate in the Cyberport, making

sure we put engineers and architects there so

that all the companies have immediate access

to any information of any Microsoft tools and

things they want to get done," Mr Gates said.

Microsoft would also work with local

universities to make sure they had the

technology to provide quality

computer-related courses.

''It is important that the politicians are really

thinking about the sector. Three years ago

they did not think about it,'' he said.

''I am really encouraged by what we are

seeing here now and I think in the next few

years there will be a lot of growth,'' he said.

(Hong Kong reverted back to Chinese sovereignty with a high degree of local autonomy with a capitalist system on July 1, 1997 under the One Country, Two Systems principle.)

Henry



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