QUESTION7: THERESA MA, FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW:
**SIR GEOFFREY, COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US IF THE PEOLE OF HONG KONG CAN LOOK FORWARD TO AN AGREEMENT WHICH WILL CONTAIN AN ESSENTIAL
PROVISION TO PRESERVE THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION IN HONG KONG BEYOND 1997?''
ANSWER:
AS I HAVE SAID IN MY STATEMENT, WE HAVE ALREADY REACHED AGREEMENT
ON MANY IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF CONTINUED HONG KONG ADMINISTRATION
AND CONTROL OF MANY IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE OF HONG KONG. ALL THAT IS BEING NEGOTIATED IN THE CONTEXT, AND WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK, OF A SYSTEM WHICH WILL PERMIT THE CONTINUANCE OF A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY FOR HONG KONG.'
QUESTION 8: KAYSER SUNG, TEXTILE ASIA:
''SIR GEOFFREY, IN YOUR STATEMENT YOU HAVE SAID THAT THE FUTURE STATUS OF HONG KONG IN THE GATT WILL BE MAINTAINED AS IN THE
PRESENT PATTERN. UNDER THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENT HONG KONG IS UNDER
THE BRITISH MEMBERSHIP, AND IF THE TRANSITION IS THROUGH, HOW CAN HONG KONG CONTINUE TO BE REPRESENTED UNDER THE BRITISH MEMBERSHIP? FURTHERMORE, BRITAIN HAS BEEN URGED TO SPONSOR HONG KONG TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT MEMBER IN THE GATT HAS THIS BEEN DISCUSSED DURING
THE NEGOTIATIONS?!!
ANSWER:
** WHAT I HAVE SAID IS THAT THE PRESENT STATUS OF HONG KONG IS SOMETHING WHICH IS OF IMPORTANCE BECAUSE IT DOES HAVE, NOT JUST IN THE GATT, BUT IN OTHER INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS, AN IMPORTANT INDEPENDENT POSITION WITH A NUMBER OF INDEPENDENT RIGHTS ALREADY SET OUT FOR HONG KONG. AND THE IMPORTANT THING, WHICH AS I HAVE SAID IN MY STATEMENT THE AGREEMENT WILL SECURE, IS A CONTINUANCE OF THAT SAME DEGREE OF INDEPENDENCE WHICH HONG KONG NOW ENJOYS -
ALTHOUGH UNDER DIFFERENT AUSPICES.''
QUESTION 9: LAI TING YIU, HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL:
''IT SEEMS THAT YOU APPRECIATE AND ACCEPT THE CONCEPT OF TWO
SYSTEMS WITHIN ONE COUNTRY. I WANT TO ASK ON WHAT GROUNDS YOU BUILD
YOUR CONFIDENCE ON THIS POLICY AND IN THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG: AND
DO YOU SEE ANY UNSOLVABLE CONFLICT BETWEEN CHINESE COMMUNISM AND
HONG KONG CAPITALISM IN THE LONG RUN - SAY AFTER 2000? IF SO, WHY DO
YOU ACCEPT THIS CONCEPT?''
ANSWER:
''I THINK THE CONCEPT, AS I SAID IN MY STATEMENT, OF TWO SYSTEMS WITHIN ONE COUNTRY WITH PLAIN, EXPRESS AND CLEAR PROVISION IN THE AGREEMENT, FOR THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE OF HONG KONG CAPITALIST SYSTEMS IS A MOST IMPORTANT VISION. IT IS A MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF STATESMANSHIP TO HAVE VISUALISED THAT ARRANGEMENT - THE TWO SYSTEMS TO EXIST ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER IN ONE COUNTRY, IT IS FOR THAT REASON THAT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO SECURE THE RIGHT
CONCLUSIONS IN THE AGREEMENT. I THINK THE BEST ASSURANCE OF THAT PROSPECT, WHICH IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ONE, IS A BINDING, CLEAR, INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT. AND THE FACT IS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR RECENT TALKS IN PEKING MADE VERY SUBSTANTIOAL STRIDES TOWARDS ACHIEVING JUST THAT.'
3
/ QUESTION IO