GOVERNOR:

I'M STILL HAVING SOME

THE

A

DIFFICULTY IN FOLLOWING HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN'S QUESTION AND PERHAPS THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S THE END OF WHAT HAS BEEN A WEEK THAT'S LASTED ABOUT FOURTEEN DAYS! LET ME SAY, AND I HOPE THAT I'M ANSWERING THE SPIRIT OF THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN'S QUESTION. EVEN IF I'VE FAILED TO IDENTIFY SOMB OF ITS' INNER SIGNIFICANCE. IF WE WERE TO HAVE TALKS WITH CHINBOB OFFICIALS, THERE WOULD BE NO POINT IN HAVING THOSE TALKS IN OTHER THAN CONSTRUCTIVE SPIRIT - THAT TRUE, I'VE MADE THAT CLEAR AGAIN, AGAIN AND AGAIN. THE TRUTH IS THAT I THINK TALKS WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ONE WOULDN'T ENTER INTO THEM IN AS HOPEFUL AND POSITIVE A SPIRIT AS POSSIBLE. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS HOPING WE WOULD DISCOVER EARLY IN ANY TALKS WAS WHAT COUNTER-PROPOSALS CHINESE OFFICIALS HAD TO OFFER IN COMPARISON TO THOSE THAT WRing

THE TABLE SINCE LAST OCTOBER, ANY COUNTER-PROPOSALS TO THOSE PUT TOGETHER BY THE COMMUNITY IN THAT VAST COMPENDIUM THAT WE'VE ASSEMBLED

ALTERNATIVES, THI

HAVE BEEN MILLIONS

WORDE OF

FROM CHINESE OFFICIALS AND NEWSPAPERS WHICH CUSTOMARILY IN A SPIRIT OF BELIEF OF FREE-SPEECH SUPPORT THE POSITION OF CHINESE OFFICIALS - MILLIONS OF WORDS OF CRITICISM OF THE PROPOSALS WHICH THE GOVERNMENT HAVE PUT FORWARD, CRITICISM OF THE PROPOSALS WHICH HONOURABLE MEMBERS HAVE PUT FORWARD, CRITICISM OF PROPOSALS WHICH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY HAVE PUT FORWARD. THERE HAVEN'T BEEN TEN WORDS WHICH HAVE ACTUALLY DESCRIBED A COUNTER-SET OF CHINESE PROPOSALS. SO, IF THERE ARE TALKS, I WOULD UNDE THẤT VOIN DE ABID TO LOOK AT CUINGOD DROPOSATS AND T REPEAT WE WOULD GO INTO TALKS WITH AN OPEN MIND AND IF TALKS PRODUCED BETTER PROPOSALS THAN THE ONES' WE'VE PUT ON THE TABLE, I WOULD HAVE TO SHARE THAT PERCEPTION WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND TRY TO PERSUADE THEM OF IT.

MUDNO

A 14 ASAWAT

THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. I

THE

MR HA WING-HO (THROUGH INTERPRETER): WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE GOVERNOR THIS SINCE THE ELECTORAL BILL WILL BE GAZETTED THIS AFTERNOON AND SO WILL THE UK CONTINUE то VARIOUS COUNTRIES IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNTY TO LOBBY FOR SUPPORT TO THESE PROPOSALS?

GOVERNOR:

THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT HASN'T BEEN

BEEN DOING ᎢᎻᎪᎢ . NOR HAS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT WHAT WE DO PERCEIVE WON'T DO THAT, NOR WILL THE HONG KONG GOVRNMENT.

NOT SURPRISINGLY

INTERESTED 15

HOPE THAT RONG NHONG WILL ENJORAL

WE FIND THAT MANY GOVERNMENTS AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF

HAPPENS IN HONG KONG AND

A FUTURE AS IT HAS HAD A RECENT PAST. IN OTHER COUN

WUTI 1

TOINT

AD ATTORI TE

A

POWER,

AN TAKE INEY ITADLT

MATTED

ARE

one THO

AND URRYN**

THW

INTEREJT IN THAT ovcezaoFUL AND ARE SURPRISED THAT THE MODEST PROPOSALS WHICH

IN

WITAL

SUCCESSFUL

XCVWWWT 19 IN

SUCH ISSUR

HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD BY THE GOVERNMENT ABOUT THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS HAVE DRAWN A REACTION FROM CHINA, THAT IS NOT INTERNATIONALISATION OF THE AND I'M SURE THAT CHINESE OFFICIALS DIDN'T THINK THAT SENIOR MINISTER LEE KUAN YEW'S WIEWS ON HONG KONG REPRESENTED INTERNATIONALISATION THE

ISSUE. THAT JUST RELFECTS THE FACT THAT HONG KONG IS ONE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRES OF THE WORLD, IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD AND MANY PEOPLE LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS IN HONG KONG AS A TOUCH-STONE FOR THEIR VIEWS ON MANY OTHER THINGS. I WILL KONG IN CONTINUE AS PREVIOUS GOVERNORS HAVE DONE TO REPRESENT HONG

HONG OTHER COUNTRIES. I WILL CONTINUE TO EXPLAIN WHAT'S HAPPENING IN

WON'T DE THAT KONG BOTH

COUNTRIES, HERE AND IN OTHER INTERNATIONALISING HONG KONG, IT WILL BE DOING WHAT I'M OBLIGED TO COVERNMENT WILL TODAY AND WHAT

THE CHIEF FYRCUTIVE OF THE SAR OBLIGED TO DO AFTER 1997.

DO

RE

MORE

TIME: 18:23:53

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