THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1984
7
Q. WEN WEI PO: SIR, DO YOU THINK THAT THE CONCEPT OF
'ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS WILL WORK= AND WHAT'S YOUR COMMENT ON THIS?
A. THE ANSWER IS: YES, I THINK IT WILL WORK. AND INDEED, THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO SET OUT A WAY IN WHICH IT CAN WORK → AND ALSO TO SET IT OUT IN SUFFICIENT DETAIL AND IN A MANNER WHICH I HOPE WILL GIVE OTHER PEOPLE THE SAME CONFIDENCE AS WE HAVE THAT IT WILL WORK.
Q.
JOHN GITTINGS, THE GUARD | AN: WHY WAS IT NECESSARY TO HAVE AN EXCHANGE OF MEMORANDA ON THE QUESTION OF NATIONALITY RATHER THAN HAVING THEIR EMBODIED IN THE AGREEMENT, AND DOES IT IMPLY A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA ON THE SUBJECT? A. WELL, I THINK WE HAVE AN EXCHANGE OF MEMORANDA, IN FACT YOU WILL FIND IN THE AGREEMENT THAT THERE IS THE JOINT DECLARATION, THERE IS THE ANNEXES, WITH TWO OTHER SUBJECTS DEALT WITH IN ANNEXES OF THEIR OWN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP AND LAND BECAUSE THAT WAS FOUND TO BE THE BEST FORM IN WHICH TO DEAL WITH IT AND THEN THE EXCHANGE OF MEMORANDA WERE DESIGNED IN THAT WAY, AGAIN,
BECAUSE THAT WAS THE MOST PRACTICAL WAY OF SETTING OUT IN A WAY ACCEPTABLE TO THE TWO GOVERNMENTS THE SITUATION AND THE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH THEY WISHED TO MAKE. THEY ARE FORMAL STATEMENTS OF GOVERNMENT POLICY ON EACH SIDE. THE WORDING OF EACH OF THE MEMORANDA WAS KNOWN TO AND ACCEPTED BY THE OTHER SIDE. I THINK THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
IF FOR INTERNATIONAL
Q. (IN CHINESE) HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL: TRADE THERE IS A CONFLICT BETWEEN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG AND BRITAIN, HONG KONG WILL HAVE TO FIGHT ITS OWN BATTLE. NOW, HAS THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT PROMISED THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT THAT IN THE FUTURE 1F SIMILAR CASES OCCUR WHEN THERE IS A CONFLICT OF INTERESTS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA, AND CHINA WILL STAND ON BEHALF OF HONG KONG?
DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES: THE QUESTION OF MISS CHOW OF THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL WAS: IN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS, HONG KONG IS CURRENTLY REPRESENTED THROUGH THE UK AND WHERE THERE'S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE UK, THE UK WILL FIGHT FOR HONG KONG'S INTERESTS. WHEN CHINA TAKES ÖVER SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG, WHEN THERE IS SUCH A CONFLICT IN ANY INTERNATIONAL FORUM, WILL HONG KONG HAVE TO FIGHT THE BATTLE ALONE, OR WILL CHINA BE PREPARED TO SUPPORT HONG KONG AS THE UK DOES?
A. WELL, I THINK YOUR ACCOUNT OF THE EXISTING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE UNITED KINGDOM ON ECONOMIC MATTERS MIGHT BE TAKEN AS A SLIGHTLY SIMPLIFIED ONE. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, WHICH IS ALREADY THE CASE WHERE HONG KONG'S INTERESTS, SHALL WE SAY, ARE DISTINCT FROM THOSE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN FOUND POSSIBLE FOR HONG KONG TO BE ABLE TO STATE ITS OWN VIEW AND FIGHT ITS OWN CORNER, AS YOU MIGHT SAY, ON THE BASIS OF ITS OWN INTERESTS. AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE ENCOURAGING THINGS WHICH IS IN THIS ARRANGEMENT IS THE DEGREE OF AUTONOMY WHICH IS BEING GIVEN TO HONG KONG IN OUR ECONOMIC
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