THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1984
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A.
THE CONCEPT OF ONE-COUNTRY TWO-SYSTEM IS INDEED AN IMAGINATIVE ONE BUT IT IS NOW MORE THAN AN IMAGINATIVE ONE,
ECAUSE HOW IT WILL WORK IN THE CASE OF HONG KONG IS NOW PELLED OUT IN VERY SUBSTANTIAL DETAIL IN THIS AGREEMENT AND, ! THINK, THAT, CERTAINLY THE REACTIONS WHICH I GET TODAY IS THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED AT THE DEGREE TO WHICH IT HAS BEEN POSSIBLE TO SPELL OUT THESE ARRANGEMENTS, AND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE SPELLED OUT GIVES THEM CONFIDENCE THAT IT WILL WORK. BUT AS REGARDS THE UK, THE UK WILL, OF COURSE, BE RELYING ON THE SAME BASIC ELEMENTS WHICH I HAVE OUTLINED AT THE BEGINNING WHICH IS THAT IT IS A FREELY NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT AND IT IS AN AGREEMENT WHICH, I REPEAT, REPRESENTS THE INTERESTS OF ALL THOSE INVOLVED. AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT IT IS A COMMONALITY OF INTERESTS WHICH IS THE BEST GUARANTEE OF SUCH AGREEMENTS.
Q. LI WING-ON FROM RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG. YOU SAID IN YESTERDAY'S LEGCO MEETING AND REPEATED EARLIER TODAY THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION JUST INITIALLED HAD CLEARED THE UNCERTAINTY ARISING FROM 1997 AND ALSO PROVIDED A SOUND BASE FOR US TO KNOW OUR FUTURE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE MOST ESSENTIAL FACTORS FROM NOW ON TO HELP US TO STEER OUR COURSE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?
A. I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS FOR PEOPLE IN HONG KONG IS TO HAVE THE SAME CONFIDENCE IN THEMSELVES AS I HAVE IN THEM. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS AN AGREEMENT WHICH, I HAVE SAID IT LAST NIGHT, WHICH THEY CAN MAKE WORK AND ON WHICH THEY CAN BUILD A FUTURE. AND I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO ADOPT A POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND TO MAKE THE BEST OF THE OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE THIS AGREEMENT DOES OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY AS WELL AS AN ASSURANCE TO MAKE THE BEST OF THAT OPPORTUNITY FROM NOW ON AND TO BE INVOLVED IN THAT ENTERPRISE.
Q.
MICHAEL BRUNSON, ITN. CAN I JUST RETURN TO THIS CONCEPT OF 100 PER CENT TAKE-IT-OR-LEAVE-IT SITUATION OVER THE AGREEMENT. IF, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU FOUND THAT THERE WAS OVERWHELMING UNHAPPINESS IN HONG KONG OVER ONE SPECIFIC POINT, PERHAPS, SAY, NATIONALITY, WHY SHOULDN'T THERE BE AN ATTEMPT AT A RENEGOTIATION OF A VERY SPECIFIC POINT IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THERE IS VERY GREAT DISQUIET ABOUT A SPECIFIC POINT.
A. I WOULD SIMPLY SAY THAT IT IS THE NORMAL AND ESTABLISHED PRACTICE THAT WHEN YOU NEGOTIATE AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT. THAT AGREEMENT ENSHRINES WHAT HAS BEEN AGREED BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES AND IF ONE SIDE TRIES TO UNSTITCH IT, AND THE OTHER SIDE THEN STARTS TO UNSTITCH IT, THEN YOU END UP WITH THE WHOLE THING BECOMING UNSTITCHED. AND I KNOW OF NO PRECEDENT, BUT I DON'T PRETEND TO BE ENCYLOPEADIC. IN WHICH IT HAS EVER BEEN SUGGESTED THAT INTERNATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS CAN BE RENEGOTIATED ALL OVER AGAIN. NOW THIS AGREEMENT HAS BEEN NEGOTIATED OVER TWO YEARS. IT IS A VERY CAREFULLY DRAWN UP AGREEMENT AND I THINK IT WOULD BE QUITE WRONG NOT TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF WHAT IS SAID IN THE
IN THE WHITE PAPER THAT IT MUST BE TAKEN AS A WHOLE.
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14. I WAS