07 OCT '92 14:08
FROM EMC
P.4
10.
7.1992
0713475772
3
+
SELINA CHOW:
Yes, I think that generally there have been a lot of things in his statement which I believe will be received quite positively in Hong Kong. Obviously, there are some pretty fundamental changes that he has introduced in government which will probably need some digesting here because it will mean that quite a lut of working arrangements will have to be changed and people would have to adapt to that and work out all the new things. on top or that, of course, there is his proposal which he says he will be putting to Beijing shortly regarding the way that certain elections are going to be held here in Hong Kong, and I think that while generally in Hong Kong he will be very much supported for any progress that he will be able to introduce in the way of democratic reform, I think that most people would also like to believe that these are accepted by China as compatible with the basic law
law and which will continue to exist beyond 1997.
CHRISTOPHER MORRIS:
But how hopeful are you that those changes will be accepted by Beijing, because there have been problems over the airport itself already, haven't there?
BELINA CHOW:
Well, I think that, by and large, Hong Kong regards that those issues should be separated. The airport issue is one thing and most problems regarding that would be financial, the financial arrangements,
and those would have to be
resolved quite separately from the other issue of democratic reform. Now as far as democratic reform is concerned, I think that
that it is quite important that, for Hong Kong's sake, there should be smouth transition and this is a view held by most people who intend to make their future in Hong Kong. So we, of course, would like to have