A:
whether a similar agreement of this kind, which will be signed between Britain and China about a major issue
concerning, which will se
1997?
Of course I have no idea because it is up to the Hong Kong
Government who will be running Hong Kong and putting up
ideas.
Q:
A:
Some local politicians in Hong Kong say in the final
negotiations between Britain and China no Hong Kong Government official participated in it, and it also said
that not even the Hong Kong people are represented in the airport
under the Joint Liaison Group, so what do you
think, is their criticism justified?
What is true is that there wasn't a representative of the
Hong Kong Government at the final talks with Sir Percy Craddock in Peking. What there certainly was, was an enormous amount of consultation with the Governor, in all
the previous talks, while the talks with Sir Percy Craddock
were going on, the Governor was in touch with us the whole
time and in touch with our Ambassador in Peking, so he knew exactly what was going on at the same time as we did in
London, so he was fully consulted. He then was able to
take EXCO through what was happening and keep them informed and I think that is absolutely right. Now I think the Governor put it extremely well when he said it actually
doesn't matter whose name is on the bottom of the bit of
paper, what actually matters is what is on that bit of
paper, and what is on that bit of paper is good for Hong Kong, so he was pleased, EXCO gave it a very good welcome, from the comments I have seen members of LEGCO gave it a very good welcome too, so I think it is entirely satisfactory and there is no occasion in which the Government of Hong Kong were excluded from any part of the negotiations, although for the final ones they might not have actually been in the same room at the same time. were certainly kept informed.
They