7 October 1992
Mr Graham Riddick MP
House of Commons
London
SWLA OAA
thatß 236/1
→ MPs letters
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
London SW1A 2AH
From The Minister of State
Mirr
гер
Dear Graham
W
Jow
По
Thank you for your letter of 24 September about the concerns expressed by your constituent, Mr Eric Blundell of 8 Park Road West, Crosland Moor, Huddersfield over Hong Kong.
As a result of a Convention signed in Peking in June 1898, the new Territories of Hong Kong were leased to Britain for 99 years. This means that 92% of the land area of Hong Kong must revert to China when the lease expires in 1997. The remaining 8% is not economically viable on its own. The British Government negotiated long and hard to ensure that Hong Kong reverted to China in 1997 under an international agreement and that this happened on the best possible terms for Hong Kong.
The destiny of Hong Kong is bound up with the destiny of China. This is the historical and geographical reality. Any viable future for Hong Kong must depend on a successful and secure co-existence with China. That objective is enshrined in the Joint Declaration, signed in 1984.
The Joint Declaration is a remarkably good agreement. It spells out the kind of future we want for Hong Kong, ie the continuation for at least 50 years of Hong Kong's capitalist system and way of life, with all its human rights and freedoms, its laws and legal system, its own freely convertible currency and its free port. In their report on Hong Kong, published in June 1989, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee described the Joint Declaration as "the best and surest treaty base for the future of Hong Kong".
The firmest guarantee of any agreement is that it is based on common interests. China has a massive stake in Hong Kong's continuing success both economically and politically. The events in China in June 1989 have not changed that fact. The Chinese leaders have repeatedly reaffirmed their commitment to the Joint Declaration and the concept of "one country, two systems".
ཀ—
er
ALASTAIR GOODLAD