5
Hong Kong cannot be expected to cope indefinitely with
an endless stream of immigrants from Vietnam, most of
whom have no prospect of ever finding a home in the
West. It is therefore imperative that we find
effective ways of deterring this futile exodus and that
we empty the camps as quickly as possible.
has shouldered this burden for too long.
Hong Kong
I turn now to the Basic Law. The drafting process has
reached a crucial phase. Throughout this process, Hong
Kong people have expressed their opinions about the
draft in a thorough and constructive way. I
congratulate them on what I believe has been a mature
response from an increasingly mature political
community. The views of this community deserve the
closest possible attention from those responsible for
drafting the Basic Law.
The outcome of this process is a matter of major
concern to the British Government. It will be a
Chinese law. But our responsibilities as
co-signatories of the Joint Declaration mean that we
have the greatest possible interest in a law intended
to implement the provisions of that Agreement. The
drafting of the Basic Law is a matter for China. But
that has not prevented us from taking every suitable