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Governemnts will be devoted to maintaining Hong Kong as an attractive place for people to make their lives, and to providing for a future to which they can look forward with confidence.
24. The Joint Declaration provides a detailed and comprehensive framework for this. The Basic Law must now turn this into reality, in a way which meets the concerns of Hong Kong people. As I observed earlier, there is a heavy burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the Chinese authorities. I am confident that they will fully discharge this responsibility. And the British Government, as co-signatories of the Joint Declaration, will not hesitate to play their full part in securing a stable and prosperous future for Hong Kong and its people.
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