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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 14 March 1984
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the purpose of emphasizing that their common objective of maintain the ty and prosperity of Hong Kong is being pursued as both the Chinese and the British Governments have enjoyed an excellent reputation for honouring their international commitments and agreements.
Sir, with these remarks, I support the motion.
MR. WONG PO-YAN:-Sir, When I was a primary school boy in China in the early 1930's, I learned from history text books that Hong Kong was ceded to the British in 1842; and that some day, this anomaly of history should be rectified.
In the summer of 1938, during the Sino-Japanese War, I visited Hong Kong for the first time for two months as a middle school student, I noticed in that time that the people in Hong Kong lived a comfortable and busy working life. The British Administration appeared to have a sympathetic attitude towards the Chinese people who were taking shelter in Hong Kong from the war area.
At the beginning of 1948, I came to Hong Kong again. Since then, Hong Kong has been my home and I had the opportunity to witness this territory prosper and flourish to become the third largest container port and one of the biggest financial centers in the world, and to rank 16th in the world trade. My life here, like those of most people in Hong Kong, has been challenging and exciting. After I became a member of this Council in 1979, I have become even more aware of my obligation to serve the interests of Hong Kong to the best of my ability.
Sir, today we are speaking on a motion concerning our future. I deem it my privilege to be able to reaffirm at this juncture my faith and commitment to this community.
It is reported and understandable that sovereignty of this territory will revert to China in 1997, and an unchanged administration is not possible. But the problem before us is that there are apprehensions and doubts about our future.
I understand the anxiety of the citizens who want to know the content of the talks concerning their future. Their views and interests should be taken into account at the negotiations. On the other hand, I understand the need for confidentiality in the talks and the intricacies of diplomacy.
Sir, I have no doubt that Britain is making its utmost efforts in seeking the means of preserving the continuation of factors that have been the decisive elements for our phenomenal achievements in the past years.
And, I have no doubt that China is sincere in its pledge to maintain the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and is seeking the means to avoid any potential disruption to those important decisive elements in the present system.
My observation is based on the fact that this territory has been serving and will continue to serve the interests of Britain and China. These interests are consistent and consonant with the long term interests of both countries.