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as long as the transitional period lasted. No time limit should be fixed for the transition. He also said the Chinese leaders were wrong in their belief that HK's prosperity and stability could be preserved without the participation of the British.
The chairman of the Anglo-HK Parliamentary Group, Sir Paul Bryan, was quoted as saying in a recent Parliamentary debate on British dependent territories that the Sino- British talks had entered a sophisticated stage and that negotiations might take a long time to complete.
Visiting Conservative MP, Mr. Mark Carlisle, said the British Government was well-aware of the interest and concern of HK people and the British people were adequately informed of this territory's problems. He said there was a strong feeling in the UK that the country had a moral obligation to its dependent territories.
Speaking at a luncheon meeting on 27 April, the Financial Secretary, Mr. John Bremridge, said confidence was a major factor in attracting foreign investment. Hong Kong must maintain its investment climate and hold fast to its present economic policy in order to lure more foreign investment.
In an interview with a correspondent of the Hong Kong Economic Journal in New York, the new Chinese Ambassador to the US, Mr. Zhang Wenjin, stressed that Beijing would safeguard Britain's economic interests in Hong Kong if Whitehall co-operated with Beijing in settling the Hong Kong issue. Mr. Zhang, who was China's chief negotiator at the Sino-British talks on HK's future before assuming his new post, confirmed that a Vice- Foreign Minister, Mr. Yao Guang, had taken over as chief negotiator.
At the annual general meeting of the HK General Chamber of Commerce, the chairman, Mr. John Marden, said he firmly believed the outcome of the Sino-British talks would be acceptable to the people of HK. Conjecture about the talks would lead nowhere. It was a very complicated issue and it would take time for the two sides to work out a satisfactory arrangement. People in HK should never try to put pressure on the two sides to hasten a decision. The vice-chairman, Mr. Jack Tang, said the 1997 question did not
bother manufacturers.
The Chairman of the HK Democratic Association, Mr. Tsin Sai-nin, has called for democratic reform by restructuring the Urban Council as a City Council. Under his proposal, the City Council would become a legislative body with power to approve the Budget, to control public finances and the civil service. There would be a gradual transfer of responsibilities from the Government to the council in the areas of education, transport, social welfare, medical and health services, housing, town planning, land policy, public works and the police. The Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, Attorney General, and Commander British Forces would be made accountable to the council. All members of the council would be elected under a
compulsory voting system.
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