NOV 24 '87 21:44 GIS HI
5
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HARVEY PONG, 7 WAH KIU YAT PAO: THE GOVERNMENT WAS ACCUSED OF LUENCING THE SURV) COMPANY TO DISTORT THE PUBLIC OPINION. IS THERE ANY TRUTH IN TI IS REMARK AND DO YOU CONSIDER IT AS A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE CRITICIS?
H.E.: LET ME ANSWER THE FIRST PART FIRST BECAUSE THAT'S QUITE SIMPLE. THERE IS NO TRUTH WHATSOEVER IN THE ALLEGATION THAT THE GOVERNMENT TRIED TO INFLUENCE THE SURVEY COMPANY AGB MCNAIR TO COME UP WITH ANY PARTICULAR ANSWER. WHAT WAS DONE WAS THAT THE SURVEY. OFFICE WAS TOLD that IT GOULD EMPLOY A COMPANY TO DO A PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY. IT DID THAT BY A TENDER SYSTEM. IT WAS THEN LEFT TO THE COMPANY ITSELF TO WORK OUT WHAT THE QUESTIONS WOULD BE AND THEN POT IN THE ANSWERS TO THE SURVEY OFFICE. SO THERE WAS A VERY CAREFUL ATTEMPT TO MAKE SURE 'HAT THERE SHOULD BE NO APPEARANCE, LET ALONE A REALITY, OF THE GOVER (MENT TRYING TO INFLUENCE WHAT CAME OUT OF THAT REPORT. YOUR SECOND CE, WAS IT A POSITIVE OR A NEGATIVE CRITICISM? I FIND THAT ONE VERY DI FICULT TO ANSWER. IT WOULD DEPEND UPON THE SPIRIT IN WHICH IT WA PUT FORWARD.
YOU
MAY WONG, OF TB NEWS: I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU, SIR DAVID. FIRST IS, OVER THE WEKEND, SIR S.Y. CHUNG MENTIONED PRESSURES FROM CHINA. COULD YOU TELL US AS MUCH AS YOU CAN WHAT THESE PRESSURES ARE, AND SECONDLY, COMING O YOUR TRIP TO CHINA, THE LAST TIME THAT VISITED BEIJING YOU TALKED TO ZHOU NAN AND YOU SAID THAT DISCUSSED BROAD PRINC PLES OF CONVERGENCE. COULD YOU TELL WHO YOU WILL BE MEETING AGAIN THIS TIME, AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU WILL EXPAND ON YOUR DISCUSSIONS O THE CONVERGENCE ISSUE?
YOU
H.E.: JUST. TO AKE YOUR LAST BIT FIRST, IF I MIGHT THIS TIME. I'M NOT AWARE OF HAVING SAID THAT I DISCUSSED WITH ZHOU NAN BROAD PRINCIPLES OF CONVERG NCE. BUT THE PEOPLE I WOULD BE MEETING THIS TIME WILL BE THE DEPUY FOREIGN MINISTER, ZHOU NAN, I
I SHALL ALSO BE MEETING MR JI PENGFEL I SHALL BE MEETING MR LU PING, AND MR LI HOU, THAT'S VERY MUCH THE AME PEOPLE AS I MET LAST TIME. IT'S QUITE A SHORT VISIT TO. PEKING INCIDENTALLY. THE FIRST ONE, WHAT SIR S.Y. CHUNG SAID, I DON'T, 'M AFRAID, KNOW PRECISELY WHAT SIR S.Y. CHUNG HAD IN MIND. I AM AWALE OF THE FACT THAT THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF THE REVIEW VARIOUS THINGS HAD BEEN REPORTED AS BEING A CHINESE VIEW, BUT THEY'VE COME FROM A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SOURCES. THE OFFICIAL
CHINESE GOVERNMENT PO: ITION ALL ALONG HAS BEEN THAT THE REVIEW IS A MATTER FOR THE BRITIS! HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO CARRY OUT AND THEY HAVE KEPT, AS FAR AS KNOW, VERY CAREFULLY TO SAYING THAT.
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CLAUDIA ROSETT
YOU HAD SO FAR FROM TI
H.E. I HAVEN'
OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: WHAT REACTION HAVE
FOREIGN OFFICE TO THE SURVEY REPORT?
AWARE OF HONG KONG ALTER THE
RECEIVED ANY PRECISE REACTION FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE TO THE SURVEY FICE REPORT. THEY ARE OF COURSE EVERYTHING THAT'S IN. WE DID HAVE THE HEAD OF THE THE DEPARTMENT, MR CHRISTO HER HUM, HERE SPENDING SEVERAL DAYS LAST MEETING OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. SO I HAVE, AND SO HAVE MANY OTHER PEOPLE, TALKED HIM ABOUT IT. BUT, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I WOULD EXPECT TO GET A FORMAL VIEW FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE, THAT'S NOT THE WAY THAT THESE THINGS ARE CONDUCTED.
R
JENIFER KING, OF RADIO AUSTRALIA: SIR, WITH THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY CRITICISMS THAT HAVE TEN MADE OF IT?
ARE YOU PERSONALLY
IN REPORT
THE LIGHT
HAPPY,
OF
THE
/H.E.
: