POREIGN SECRETARY
SPEECH
LONDON
16 SEPTEMBER 1991
7
JI JOJU
gloom at each twist and turn of this story.
One of the things which impressed me in Hong Kong on this last
visit when I tried to concentrate on meeting and listening to
businessmen was that I believe there was a greater degree of
assurance, there was a smaller tendency, a lesser tendency, to be
cast up and cast down at each turn of the newspaper headlines and
I hope this steadiness, this greater steadiness, will persist
because I believe the long term future is bright and the long term
future is the key.
Hong Kong changes, China changes, we cannot say exactly how or
when these changes will occur and you would not wish as investors,
I would not wish as a government, to build a policy on the
prospect of change. But my own belief is that China will become
more liberal, both politically and economically, and that of
course would be from the point of view of Hong Kong a much wished
for evolution.
We are
So to conclude, before I answer some questions. The opportunities
in Hong Kong, the actual projects now coming forward connected
with the airport but also going much wider than that are of course
immense and you will be hearing a good deal about this.
talking about one of the world's most prosperous, most buoyant
economies, are talking about a highly skilled, hard working,
disciplined labour force. We are talking about a major market for
British exports, both visible and invisible. We are talking about
the service centre for southern China, a key as I have said to the
expanding and reforming Chinese economy.
We are talking about