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QUESTION (ECONOMIST & WASHINGTON POST)
Why your Government feels assured of China's commitment
to this Treaty does not need reiteration, but I think we need,
for the record, to know what will your Government do if the
terms of this Agreement are abused or broken. In short, are
you prepared to defend this pact as you did in the Falklands
and by what means?
PRIME MINISTER
I believe this Agreement will be honoured. I believe
that firmly. If, by any chance, any question arose under the
Agreement, naturally a signatory to it would raise the matter
with the Chinese Government. If they had anything to raise
with us, naturally they would raise it with us. That is the
normal procedure under an agreement. The signatories raise
matters with one another.
QUESTION
Are you prepared to go further to defend this?
PRIME MINISTER
I have indicated that if there is anything to raise
under the Agreement, then of course we would raise it in the
normal way, but I believe it will be fully honoured.
Can I say to you: in 1997,
would automatically return to China.
$2% of the Territory
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