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LADY YOUNG'S SPEECH, HOUSE OF LORDS DEBATE ON HONG KONG, 21 MAY
1. My Lords, I am grateful to Lord Fanshawe for tabling his
question and thus giving this House an opportunity to debate the
important issue of Hong Kong's future. It is a matter of the
highest concern to Her Majesty's Government and, as this debate has
shown, to noble Lords.
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2. Many noble Lords present this evening know well the remarkable community which is Hong Kong. Anyone who has visited the territory
will have been impressed by its economic and social achievements.
It is unique in its historical background notably the fact that 92% of its land area is covered by a lease that expires in 1997.
is unique too in the negotiations which are now under way to assure
its future.
It
3. It is natural and understandable that the people of the
territory should feel anxiety about their future. Some noble Lords
have no doubt met the groups which have recently visited London to express the concern of the Hong Kong people and their views about
the way in which the territory should evolve. It is our intention
in the negotiations to do everything possible to allay those
concerns.
Her Majesty's Government are also deeply aware of the
anxieties and frustrations caused by the confidentiality of the negotiations. We believe that this confidentiality, upon which both sides are agreed, provides our negotiators with the best basis on which to operate. But we have thought it right, without breaking the confidentiality of the talks, to give as clear a description as we can of the general approach of the British Government to the important problem at stake.
4.
This was first done during the visit which my Rt Hon and learned Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary undertook to the Far
East last month. In Peking he held detailed and serious talks with Chinese leaders on all aspects of the future of Hong Kong. His aim was to review the course of the negotiations which are under way at diplomatic level, to sum up the progress made and to give them a fresh impetus.
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