1992-09-24 10:03 COMMS OFFICE (GOVT HOUSE)
852 526 0995
P.02
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today that the Party
the 4th October, but it's been announced today that Congress starts on October 12th and understandably that does create some administrative difficulties as far as visiting Peking as Governor it the same time is concerned, I understand quite a bit from my past experience about the problems of organising party conferences and congresses, because that as you know was responsibility that I had n British politics. I'm very happy that the Chinese authorities' have suggested alternative dates. We're going to be visiting Peking now Later in October, and it looks as though the most convenient dates on both sides, the dates suggested by the Chinese authorities are from 21st to 23rd October. So we'll be putting back my visit by about ten days, but that will obviously be more suitable for the Chinese Authorities because I understand it's likely to fall after the Congress. That's the dates we're looking at, at the moment, it involves some changes in my diary which I think we should be able to hake. If there is any difficulty about that we'll obviously let you <now, but I'm very pleased that the Chinese authorities have come back 10 us so quickly and suggested ways in which we can deal with the problems that inevitably arose because of the timing of the Party Congress. And I think that an announcement along those lines will be nade not only in Hong Kong this afternoon but also in Peking.
2:
Do you think your postponed visit to Beijing will be a bad impact on the airport negotiations?
Governor:
2:
No.
Governor, some of the papers associated with Beijing, have been somewhat peeved about your comments of yesterday. Were they designed to, were your comments designed to evoke that reaction or some other reaction? I mean in Beijing....
Governor:
I'm delighted first of all that we live in a plural society and I believe as strongly in a free press as I'm sure the papers to which you referred do. But the sooner I'm able to talk to officials and representatives of the Chinese Government rather than listen to echoes, the better. I think that the best way of discussing matters is face to face over the table, rather than having to try to interpret the precise meaning of leading articles in particular newspapers. I want to have candid discussions with my Chinese colleagues. They will find, which I think some of you have found already, that I say exactly the same in private as I say in public and vise versa. That may be a curiosity in the modern world but
the modern world but it happens to be the way that I operate, have always operated and will continue to operate. There is just one thing that I think is worth saying about candor and dealing directly and not operating through echo chambers; when one is at work or when one is dealing with one's family the more important it is to
2
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