Although Beijing has repeatedly promised the demise of this legislature, Chinese-owned and controlled companies had been pressing employees to vote for pro-China candidates.

While Japan won the broad principle that no favoritism could be afforded to Chinese-owned companies, the agreement allows for three major exceptions.

The New China News Agency, China's official presence here under British rule, has been urging that representatives of Chinese-owned companies in Hong Kong be given seats in the territory's legislature.

The ferry service began operation in 1920, under the management of a Chinese-owned company.

Chinasoft (headquartered in Beijing) and Xinhua were among the first Chinese-owned IT companies.

As a result, the Yaumati Ferry company became the largest Chinese-owned company in the world at that point in time, profiting from the transportation demand of Kowloon expansion.

Recently water was piped by a Chinese-owned company from the north to provide water to most of the city, however, this problem is likely to continue due to expected population growth.

The lists of directors and shareholders of Chinese-owned companies provide no evidence of interlocking stock ownership or of interlocking directorships.

Of course, the threat to Chinese-owned companies is not confined to Guangdong Province.

Deliberate duty evasion by Chinese-owned companies was a widespread problem, he said then.