14-JUL-1993 14:35
TRANSCRIPT
-
Gallagher
MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD
0491 579838
P.08
SELECT COMMITTEE
14 JULY 93
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with China, and China agreed with us, that we would during the
period between 1984 and 1997 establish one country, two systems,
Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy and its own way of life.
Now for that to happen clearly the arrangements have to be fair,
open and acceptable to the people of Hong Kong and clearly there
must be ways of determining that those who become Legislative
Councillors in 1995 do not get arbitrarily turfed out immediately
on the change of sovereignty.
And I do not see any inconsistency between the achievement of
those objectives and retaining the best of relationships with
China. And the reason I say that is that this country and China
have an identity of interest in maintaining the stability and
prosperity of Hong Kong and of course there is an identity of
interest with the people of Hong Kong too. So I do not think
that this should in any sense whatsoever be a cause for what you
quoted as somebody describing as a quarrel, quite the reverse, I
think it is a joint task that we both enjoy a duty to accomplish.
MR SUMBERG:
One of the policies that you are pursuing, which I welcome and
support, is the extension of democracy into Hong Kong. And I come
relatively new to this area of the world, I do not know a lot
about it, but how am I to respond to perhaps those in the People's
Republic of China who will say, look you British have had Hong
Kong for many years, you chose to do absolutely nothing about
extending the franchise, increasing democracy in all that time,
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