14-JUL-1993 14:38
TRANSCRIPT
Gallagher
0491 579838
P.15
MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD
-
SELECT COMMITTEE
14 JULY 93
www
15.
the timetable for the introduction of representative government
was a matter for Hong Kong. "
That is my clear reflection, it is
the clear reflection of all of us who went to Beijing and discussed these matters. We put it in our report, it has never been challenged by anybody from China, I wonder if you could explain to us how from that point, and that was only a week or two before the events of Tiananmen Square, just what has happened, have the personalities changed, obviously the policy has changed in view of what I read out, could you give us some understanding of what has happened between the attitude then, which clearly would not have got us into the difficulties we have following the Governor's speech, and the difficulties we have actually got into following the proposals which the Governor made last year?
MR GOODLAD;
I think that the words which you have read out may have some resonance in Peking. Our own position has not changed at all, our policy has remained absolutely consistent from before 1984 until the present day, and we made the proposals that we did in September last year when the Foreign Secretary gave them to his opposite number, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Qian Qichen, in New York with the request that they be discussed, and they are now being discussed.
What has caused the attitudes taken by the government of the People's Republic of China I do not think I could really say and you may wish to ask them when you are there. But it is, as you