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My second point is that you have my absolute
assurance that Britain will administer Hong Kong wisely and
well between now and 1997. We shall honour our obligations
to the full.
My third point is that Britain will not merely do
all in its power to work for Hong Kong's steady development
and a smooth transition; we shall also seek to win the
widest possible acceptance of the Agreement in the rest of
the world.
We start this exercise under very favourable
circumstances.
The Agreement has already won high praise
from many leading nations in the world. The Agreement is
regarded as a good one by the overwhelming majority of the
people of Hong Kong, and the British Government are firmly
committed to carrying out the Agreement to the full; so too,
are the Chinese Government, and that is the assurance which
Chairman Deng Xiaoping and Premier Zhao Ziyang gave me during
my discussions on Wednesday.
Of course, there are people here who have concerns
about the Agreement, and many of them are reflected in the
careful report prepared by the Assessment Office. I
understand these concerns and they will be very much in our
minds as we start the process of implementing the Agreement.
Nevertheless, this is a good Agreement; good for Hong Kong
and for its future, and it is now up to all of us together
to make sure that it works.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your questions!