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SIR GEOFFREY: AGAIN, THAT'S ONE OF THE FEATURES THAT WILL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT NO DOUBT BY THOSE MAKING REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THIS QUESTION AND REACHING CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THEM. KNOW THAT THE VIEW HAS BEEN EXPRESSED THAT IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR HONG KONG TO MOVE TO A SYSTEM BASED UPON PARTISAN POLITICS OF THE TRADITIONAL KIND. AND I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY THAT VIEW IS EXPRESSED. AND THAT'S CERTAINLY ONE OF THE FEATURES TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.
QUESTION: YOU JUST MENTIONED THAT THE CHINESE AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENTS WILL, THROUGH THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, EXCHANGE VIEWS
CAN YOU TO ENSURE CONVERGENCE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM. QUOTE CASES TO ILLUSTRATE THAT YOU EXCHANGED VIEWS ON VARIOUS ISSUES? AND ON WHAT ISSUES? AND SECONDLY HAS THERE BEEN DIVERGENCE OF VIEWS ON BOTH PARTIES AND WHAT IS THE DIVERGENCE ACTUALLY?
SIR GEOFFREY:
I'M NOT QUITE SURE I FOLLOW THE QUESTION. I THINK THAT THE TOPICS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED ARE ILLUSTRATED BY SOME OF THE OUTCOMES TO WHICH I HAVE REFERRED. I COULDN'T BEGIN TO GIVE YOU AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ALL THE MATTERS THAT HAVE BEEN
FOR DISCUSSED. BUT THE FACT THAT AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN REACHED, EXAMPLE ON THE HANDLING OF AIR SERVICES AGREEMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE ON THE FUTURE POSITION OF HONG KONG IN GATT. SHOWS THE WAY IN WHICH AGREEMENTS CAN BE REACHED, AND ON SOME OF THOSE ISSUES THE STARTING POSITIONS WERE INITIALLY DIVERGENT, SO IT SHOWS THAT IT IS POSSIBLE.....
SORRY? AH, THAT'S NOT BEEN A TOPIC UNDER DISCUSSION IN
NO.
THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, AS FAR AS 1 UNDERSTAND IT,
QUESTION: FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING, IT APPEARS THAT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IS WHITTLING AWAY THE PROMISE OF A HIGH DEGREE OF AUTONOMY CONTAINED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. IS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PREPARED TO JEOPARDISE ITS GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO INSIST THAT ON THE LETTER AND SPIRIT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION BEING FULLY ENFORCED.
SIR GEOFFREY: I THINK THAT IT'S MUCH TOO EARLY YET TO JUDGE THE OUTCOME OF THE BASIC LAW DRAFTING PROCESS, WHICH IS STILL AT AN EARLY STAGE. I SAID IN MY STATEMENT THAT WE COULD TAKE SOME ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE SERIOUS WAY IN WHICH IT IS BEING HANDLED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND ON THE WAY IN WHICH PROVISION HAS BEEN MADE FOR AN INPUT FROM THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, CERTAINLY HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT DOES ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO THE TERMS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION BEING FULLY AND FAITHFULLY IMPLEMENTED AND THE PREPARATION OF THE BASIC LAW IS ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH IMPLEMENTATION WILL TAKE PLACE, AND WE SHALL CERTAINLY BE TAKING A CONSISTENT, CLOSE INTEREST, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE OUTCOME THAT WILL BE CONSISTENT WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION. IT'S A MATTER THAT WE REGARD AS VERY IMPORTANT.
TU-.
QUESTION: CAN YOU SAY THAT YOU HEAN BY +ATTACH IMPORTANCE TU 40: MUCH IMPORTANCE?
/IR GʻOFFROY :