WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1984
QUESTION SIX, CHAN CHUNG-KWAN, ORIENTAL DAILY NEWS:
+COULD YOU RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY FOR BRITAIN AND CHINA TO MAKE SOME FORM OF ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE FUTURE ARRANGEMENT OF HONG KONG IN SOME INTERNATIONAL OCCASIONS SAY THE UNITED NATIONS ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN THE COMING SEPTEMBER SO AS TO INCREASE THE INTERNATIONAL STATUS OF THAT LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT?+
ANSWER:
+NO.
-
WE ARE WORK ING TO CONCLUDE AN INTERNATIONALLY BINDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO SOVEREIGN STATES WITHIN THE PROGRAMME THAT I HAVE SET OUT. AND THAT WILL, AS I SAY, BE A MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE AND CONCLUSION. +
QUESTION SEVEN, THERESA MA, FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW:
+SIR GEOFFREY, COULD YOU PLEASE TELL US IF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG CAN LOOK FORWARD TO AN AGREEMENT WHICH WILL CONTAIN AN ESSENTIAL PROVISION TO PRESERVE THE PRESENT SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION IN HONG KONG BEYOND 1997?+
ANSWER:
+AS I HAVE SAID IN MY STATEMENT, WE HAVE ALREADY REACHED AGREEMENT ON MANY IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF CONTINUED HONG KONG ADMINISTRATION AND CONTROL OF MANY IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE OF HONG KONG. ALL THAT IS BEING NEGOTIATED IN THE CONTEXT, AND WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK, OF A SYSTEM WHICH WILL PERMIT THE CONTINUANCE OF A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY FOR HONG KONG.+
QUESTION EIGHT, KAYSER SUNG, TEXTILE ASIA:
+SIR GEOFFREY, IN YOUR STATEMENT YOU HAVE SAID THAT THE FUTURE STATUS OF HONG KONG IN THE GATT WILL BE MAINTAINED AS IN THE PRESENT PATTERN, UNDER THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENT HONG KONG IS UNDER THE BRITISH MEMBERSHIP, AND IF THE TRANSITION IS THROUGH, HOW CAN HONG KONG CONTINUE TO BE REPRESENTED UNDER THE BRITISH MEMBERSHIP? FURTHERMORE. BRITAIN HAS BEEN URGED TO SPONSOR HONG KONG TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT MEMBER IN THE GATT. HAS THIS BEEN DISCUSSED DURING THE NEGOTIATIONS?+
/ANSWER: