FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1984
K. SUNG: WHAT ABOUT BRITAIN'S ARRANGEMENTS AFTER 1986 WHEN THE PRESENT MULTI-FIBRE ARRANGEMENT RUNS OUT?
PRIME MINISTER WELL, AFTER 1986 WE DEAL WITH THE NEXT MULTI-FIBRE ARRANGEMENT IN THE SAME WAY AS WE DEALT WITH THE LAST ONE. AS YOU KNOW THEY LAST SEVEN YEARS AND WE RE-NEGOTIATE THEM AND I SHOULD THINK THIS PERIOD FOR RE-NEGOTIATION WILL SOON BE COMING UP. BUT AS YOU POINT OUT, SPECIFIC ARRANGEMENTS ARE MADE UNDER THE GATT, AS NOW, FOR HONG KONG. I SHOULD THINK WE SOON SHALL BE STARTING TO CONSIDER THE NEXT MULTI-LATERAL AGREEMENT, BUT THAT WILL BE DONE IN THE SAME WAY AS PREVIOUS ONES HAVE BEEN.
Q 3. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A CHINESE GOVERNOR BEFORE 1997 AND HAS THIS QUESTION BEEN DISCUSSED BETWEEN YOU AND THE CHINESE LEADERS DURING YOUR VISIT TO CHINA?
PRIME MINISTER: NO. WE HAVE NOT DECIDED ON ALL GOVERNORS UP TO 1997. WE ARE VERY, VERY HAPPY WITH OUR PRESENT ONE.
Q4. LINDA JAIVIN, ASIAWEEK IS IT TRUE THAT IN 1979 WHEN GOVERNOR MACLEHOSE WENT TO PEKING AND SPOKE WITH DENG XIAOPING THAT DENG XIAOPING TOLD HIM THAT NOT ONLY SHOULD HONG KONG PEOPLE PUT THEIR HEARTS AT EASE BUT ALSO THAT CHINA INTENDED TO RETAKE SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG IN 1997. IF THIS IS TRUE WHY WERE NOT THE HONG KONG PEOPLE TOLD ABOUT IT? AND SECOND, DOES THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FORMULATION OF THE NATIONALITY ACT?
PRIME MINISTER: FIRST, I DO NOT KNOW THE CONTENT OF ANY TALKS WHICH LORD MACLEHOSE MAY HAVE HAD. SECONDLY, WE MUST NOW TURN OUR EYES TO THIS AGREEMENT. OUR TASK NOW IS TO IMPLEMENT THIS AGREEMENT WHICH HAS BEEN OVERWHELMINGLY ACCEPTED BY HONG KONG PEOPLE AS A WHOLE. THE NATIONALITY ACT WAS PASSED BY THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT IN THE LIGHT OF ALL THE CIRCUMSTANCES THEN AT THE TIME.
ASIA WEEK:
04: MRS THATCHER, HOW CAN YOUR GOVERNMENT GUARANTEE TO ASSIST HONG KONG IN SOLVING THE PROBLEMS AND CONFLICTS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE RELATIONS SUCH AS THE DECLARATION OF COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN PROPOSED BY THE US GOVERNMENT? DO THE BRITISH INTERESTS PLACED ON THE HIGH PRIORITY? FURTHERMORE, COULD THE CHANGE OF THE PARTIES AFFECT YOUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT?
PRIME MINISTER: I THINK YOU ARE ONTO A POINT WHICH IS AT THE MOMENT A VERY DIFFICULT POINT BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IN VIEW OF SOME OF THE DECISIONS THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN ABOUT COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN WHICH, UNDERSTAND, IS AFFECTING HONG KONG TRADE. THAT ITSELF OBVIOUSLY IS A MATTER FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND THAT IS NOT AFFECTED BY THE AGREEMENT.
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