22-NOV-1989
17:01
GENERAL DUTIES BRANCH HKG
852 5 840 1976 P.06
CHINESE LANGUAGE DIVISION
- 6-
565 PQ7
needs
gradual
improvement. There is something special about us;
we do not have a multi-party system nor do we have an opposition
party. What we practise is a multi-party cooperative system under
the leadership of the Communist Party. We do not take turns to play
the banker.
: Some political bodies in Hong Kong expressed at the very beginning
that they would not take in pro-China personnel. Do you think this
reflects a kind of sentiment resistant to communist?
A: If he chooses to do so, he has such freedom. In fact it will take a
long time for Hong Kong to change this kind of mentality. There are
historical factors involved. Ask yourself, you are Chinese, if you
are not pro-China, who will you feel attached to? National
consciousness of some people in Hong Kong is somewhat weak. For
example one often hears them say "You China
This kind of saying breaks our hearts,
...
we Hong Kong ...".
The effect of colonial rule
for over a hundred years cannot be neglected. It will be a long-
term thing for the people of Hong Kong to develop a sense of belonging
to their motherland.
Certainly, our country has made some mistakes in the
course of its development over the decades. But at least we
managed to solve the problem of feeding and clothing one billion
people. We managed to lay a reasonably good foundation for
agriculture and light industry and established a complete package of in-
frastructural industries. The question remains that full benefit has
yet to be derived from these good foundations. Consequently, reform
is what we need. But reform is something easier said than done.
It requires constant learning from experience. Also, a lot of
difficulties are to be encountered. But we should be able to see
the progress of the country. We need to build up national self-