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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1982
GOVERNOR GOING TO PEKING
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THE GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE, CONFIRMED THIS (FRIDAY) EVENING THAT HE WILL BE JOINING THE PRIME MINISTER, MRS MARGARET THATCHER, ON HER VISIT TO PEKING LATER THIS MONTH.
SIR EDWARD:
SIR EDWARD ANNOUNCED THIS WHEN ASKED BY NEWSMEN AT THE AIRPORT ON HIS RETURN WITH FOUR UMELCO MEMBERS FROM LONDON.
THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING TO WELCOME US BACK. WE HAD A VERY GOOD TRIP TO LONDON AND I THINK I CAN SAY THAT IT IS A VERY ENCOURAGING TRIP. WE SAW NOT ONLY THE PRIME MINISTER BUT WE SAW THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND WE SAW LORD BELSTEAD AND AFTER THAT WE MET WITH QUITE A FEW OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN HONG KONG AND ALL OF THEM WERE VERY KEENLY INTERESTED IN WHAT WE HAD TO SAY, IN PARTICULAR WHAT THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS HAD TO SAY.
REPORTER:
SIR EDWARD:
REPORTERI
SIR EDWARD:
REPORTER 1
I THINK YOU KNOW THAT THE PRIME MINISTER'S OBJECTIVE WAS TO HEAR AT FIRST HAND THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ON THE FUTURE, AND FROM THE STATEMENT WHICH WAS ISSUED BY NO. 10 DOWNING STREET AFTER OUR TALK WITH THE PRIME MINISTER SHE SAID THAT SHE HAD ASSURED THE UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS THAT IN HER DISCUSSIONS IN PEKING SHE WOULD FULLY REPRESENT THE VIEWS AND THE INTERESTS OF PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.
SO I THINK ALL IN ALL IT WAS TO US A VERY SUCCESSFUL AND VERY ENCOURAGING TRIP.
SIR EDWARD, CAN YOU NOW TELL US WHETHER YOU WOULD BE AMONG MRS THATCHER'S TEAM?
YES, I SHALL BE JOINING THE PRIME MINISTER IN PEKING.
AND WHAT ABOUT LORD MACLEHOSE ?
I HAVEN'T ANY NEWS TO YOU EXCEPT ME. WHOEVER IS GOING TO PEKING OTHER THAN MYSELF 1 MUST LEAVE TO NO. 10 TO ANNOUNCE.
THERE HAVE BEEN PERSISTENT REPORTS THAT CHINA HAS RECENTLY INFORMED LONDON THAT IT WILL REGAIN THE SOVEREIGNTY OF HONG KONG.......
SIR EDWARD, WE WERE NOT THERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE CHINESE
GOVERNMENT MIGHT HAVE SAID TO LONDON. WE WERE THERE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WANTED TO SAY. SO I THINK PERHAPS IT'S JUST AS WELL WE SHOULD CONFINE THE QUESTIONS TO THAT.
/REPORTER: COULD
E