(Hong Kong and London, 3 February 2005) Hutchison Whampoa Limited ("HWL") announced that the Group has committed for the second year a sponsorship of £2 million for the Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Awards.

HWL's sponsorship aims at providing more opportunities for high quality Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong scholars to study science, technology, medicine, engineering and social sciences in top UK universities. The sponsorship also encourages the scholars to contribute to the community upon their return.

The Group's contribution to the awards scheme arose out of the visit to the Mainland and Hong Kong in 2003 by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in which Mr Blair invited HWL Chairman Mr Li Ka-shing to participate in the scheme.

HWL then contributed £2 million in November 2003 which, together with the latest commitment, had taken the Group's total sponsorship to £4 million. The total contribution made by the Group will fund 110 scholars' studies in the UK. The UK Government will also contribute the same amount as matching funds.

Mr Li said the greatest challenge for educationalists today was to fire the youth with the enthusiasm to pursue knowledge and be a part of the learning process.

"Competing in business in today's increasingly globalised world is a battle of wits and it is not for the run-of-the-mill. We must combine motivation with vision and curiosity, move ahead with perseverance and courage, and to seek perfection through innovation in whatever we do," Mr Li said.

The first batch of 53 Hutchison scholars under the awards scheme had already started their doctoral studies at top-rated UK universities since last autumn.

Mr Blair said the scheme had been a great success and was attracting students of the highest calibre from overseas to study for their PhDs in the UK.

"I am delighted that it is continuing in 2005 / 2006. These students are a welcome 'brain gain' for the UK during their time here and will also provide an important boost to capacity building when they return to their home countries," Mr Blair said.

The Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, Sir David King, said the scheme aimed to bring outstanding students from countries and places such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and the developing world to study for PhDs in top-rate UK research facilities. The emphasis of the scheme is excellence, both of the research training environment and of the student.

Apart from this PhD awards scheme, HWL has been sponsoring for years students from Hong Kong and Mainland China to study in the UK. Back to October 2002, the Group donated a total of £2.02 million to expand the British Chevening Scholarships scheme to include 63 extra scholarships each year over a four-year period, benefiting a total of more than 250 postgraduate students from Mainland China and Hong Kong.

Notes to Editor:

Professor Dorothy Hodgkin (1910 - 1994) was a pioneering crystallographer who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1964 for her work in determining the structure of important biochemical molecules. Advances in insulin treatment for diabetics are a direct result of her work.

The awards have been named in her honour in recognition of her work she did abroad and in helping overseas students studying in the UK.

The awards will be administered by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council in the UK on behalf of the Office of Science and Technology. The council will act as a conduit for funds from all contributors and co-ordinate placement of students. For non-media inquiries, please contact Ms Diane Howard at diane.howard@epsrc.ac.uk or 44-01-793-444419.

About Hutchison Whampoa Limited

Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL) is a leading international corporation committed to innovation and technology with businesses spanning the globe. Its diverse array of holdings range from some of the world's biggest retailers to property development and infrastructure to the most technologically-advanced and marketing-savvy telecommunications operators. HWL reports consolidated turnover of approximately HK$145 billion (US$18,660 million) and HK$81 billion (US$10,420 million) for the year ended 31 December 2003 and for the six months ended 30 June 2004 respectively. With operations in 42 countries and more than 180,000 employees worldwide, Hutchison has five core businesses - ports and related services, telecommunications, property and hotels, retail and manufacturing, and energy and infrastructure.

Its flagship companies include Hutchison Port Holdings, Hutchison Telecom, Hutchison Whampoa Properties, A.S. Watson, and Cheung Kong Infrastructure.

For more information, please visit www.hutchison-whampoa.com

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