OUR NEXT FIVE YEARS
THE AGENDA FOR HONG KONG
1. In a little under five years, British administration in Hong Kong will come to an end. One chapter will close; a new one will begin. Now is the time to set out what we want to achieve over the next five years. Now is the time to be clear about the kind of Hong Kong we want to see. Now is the time to show how we mean to prepare for Hong Kong's future under that far-sighted concept, "one country, two systems".
2. My goal is simply this to safeguard Hong Kong's way of life. This way of life not only produces impressive material and cultural benefits; it also incorporates values that we all cherish. Our prosperity and stability underpin our way of life. But, equally, Hong Kong's way of life is the foundation on which we must build our future stability and prosperity. Thanks to this combination, Hong Kong has achieved more than anyone could ever have predicted. Pride in our past and present should help make us confident about our future.
3. The policies of the Government I lead will be based on four key principles:
4.
-first, we must continue to generate the economic success that has made Hong Kong one of the wonders of the world: our approach to business will remain one of minimum interference and maximum
support;
-secondly, we must leave individuals and families free to run their own lives, while providing proper help for those who often through no fault of their own are in genuine need;
-thirdly, we must guarantee the rule of law, with an independent judiciary enforcing laws democratically enacted, and with crime and corruption under unremitting attack;
-fourthly, we must make possible the widest democratic participation by the people of Hong Kong in the running of their own affairs, while reinforcing certainty about Hong Kong's future.
If we hold to these principles:
we shall maintain an economy which continues to thrive and prosper, generating the wealth required to provide the standards of public service that people rightly demand;
1