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responsibility.
DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
But Hong Kong will nevertheless be able
to conduct its own relations with other countries on
matters such as trade, culture and civil aviation, and
conclude agreements on these subjects. Hong Kong will be
able to maintain a vast range of international links, and
will continue to participate in international
organisations as it does today.
PRIVACY MARKING
entry into Hong Kong from China will continue to be
regulated as at present, so that Hong Kong will not be
swamped by immigrants from the mainland.
In Confidence
10. The question now raised in all our minds by the
events in China is: does that agreement still hold good?
Can Hong Kong still look forward to a prosperous, stable
and secure future? Some people have been quick to
dismiss the Joint Declaration as a worthless piece of
paper. They have concluded that all our efforts to
secure Hong Kong's future have been in vain. Some would
like to tear up the Joint Declaration and start again. I
cannot see any sense in that. Now of all times is when
we must keep our nerve and hang on to what has been
achieved.
11. The Joint Declaration is an internationally binding
agreement.
The events of recent weeks do not make the
treaty any less binding. But they do make its strict
observance all the more necessary.