FOREIGN SEC:
SPRECH
HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COM BRCB 15 JABUARY 1990
5.
FORBIGE SECRETARY (CONTD).
The Joint Declaration 18 the best framework;
it requires a
continuous discussion on equal terms with the Chinese Government and
it is frankly trivolous to pretend otherwise;
anyone who does
pretend otherwise can have no real standing as a friend of Hong
-
which
Kong, but it would be frivolous, too, to pretend that the Agreement
marks the end of our problems. What we have to do is to turn the
Joint Declaration into reality and that means working on matters of
maticulous, sometimes technical detail; it means conducting
18 not always easy a tenacious, consistent dialogue with the
Chinese Authorities, a dialogue which is neither hostile nor
autoen vieni,
Fugue which alum at the Yong wirow rallime
C
quicà tricà and which always suEAU to judge and serve Lue реб
interests of Hong Kong. That is what we are on about, that is what
we are committed to and that is what we shall carry through.
They, the Chinese loadership, have conf med their commitment
to the Joint Declaration and that is welcome. Our relations with
China are going through a difficult period but we need and want to
rebuild them; that is important to Britain and it is important to
Hong Kong that we should de 50.
Hong Kong, too, needs a good relationship with China not only
because of its future as a Special Administrative Region of China
but also because China is increasingly important as a valuable back-
up to Hong Kong's own manufacturing industry. It is quite clear to
me from what, I bave read and heard particularly in these last days,
that llong Kong bas a key role to play as an economic bridge between