FC PLAT AD
TRANSCRIPT A
--
た
SELECT COMMITTEE OF HONG KONG 12 JUTE 1989
8
MR BOVEN VELLS (COFT):
Each time hasn't Hong Kong in fact benefitted and in
fact strengthened after those events. It has been a haven
and is there therefore any reason to believe that on this
occasion too that Hong Kong will ramin a haven and indeed
even after 1997, because has not the People's Republic of
China always kept their international undertakings in
these circumstances?
SIR DAVID VILSF:
It is certainly true that Hong Kong has witnessed
these sort of eveute or analogous events in China over the
years and has, in most cases but not all, the exception
was the Cultural Revolution, been isolated or managed to
isolate itself from then.
are still a haven in comparison with what has
been happening in China, we have still been conducting our
affairs totally different from the way they have been
conducted in China. We do have a great ability to survive
these aort of catastrophies.
The one point of difference at the moment, and it
has to be recognized, is the time element, that these
evente are happening within 8 years of a change of
sovereignty and that does have a different effect from the
previous catastrophies that we have witnessed in China and
managed to isolate ourselves from.