GIDEON:
1989-05-17 22:05 COI RADIO TECH SERVICES.
01 928 8607 P.06
POREIGN SEC INT
BRIAN HAYES SHOW LBC 17 MAY 1989
-31-
Are you saying that you would like to see a truly democratic
government to be installed by the mercy of the Chinese Government
round then? You know, under this British administration, you still
want us to have any form of reprezentativa government?
FOREIGN SECRETARY:
No. We are working in that direction, but the thing that
the people of Hong Kong regard as most important is to have
continuity and stability during and after the change in 1997.
It would not make sense for us to introduce some dramatically
different system of government in the next year or two if it was aɛ
sure as God made little apples that after 1997 that would be
overthrown and displaced, so it is very important to put in place
and get in place in the Basic Law the Chinese are drawing up in
light of the Joint Declaration, an arrangement that is going to
endure on a democratic basis.
You understand, of course, that one of the reasons why there
has been an apprehensiveness about the conventional approach to
democratic elections in Hong Kong is because of the underlying
tension between the two Chinas, as it were, the Communist China and
KJOMINTANG
the Kumantan Aphmm) China of the alternative that is represented in
Taiwan.