SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1987
GOVERNOR'S ARTICLE ON HK'S FUTURE
FOLLOWING IS AN ARTICLE ON THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG BY THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, WRITTEN BEFORE OCTOBER FOR EDITION OF THE HARVARD INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. WHICH RECENTLY.
THE NOVEMBER WAS PUBLISHED
PUZZLED BY WHAT SOME NEWSPAPER A "CRISIS OF "DYING COLONIAL
READERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS MAY WELL BE THEY HAVE BEEN READING RECENTLY ABOUT HONG KONG. COMMENTARIES HAVE SPOKEN OF A "JITTERY CITY"; CONFIDENCE"; AND THE "SUNSET FOR CAPITALISM" IN A POSSESSION". OTHERS HAVE REFERRED TO A "MASSIVE BRAIN DRAIN" AND A "DRAIN OF CAPITAL". YET IN THIS SAME PERIOD, PERCEPTIVE READERS WILL HAVE SEEN THE FINANCIAL PRESS REPORT THAT OUR ECONOMY IS BOOMING, AND THAT EXPORTS, INVESTMENT, AND OTHER KEY MARKET INDICES ARE ALL BUOYANT, VISITORS HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY A SURGE IN CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY COMPARABLE WITH THAT CURRENTLY UNDERWAY IN MANHATTAN. EXPORTS AT THE END OF JULY WERE UP BY 32 PER CENT OVER THE YEAR BEFORE, RE-EXPORTS WERE UP BY 52 PER CENT, AND THE STOCK MARKET WAS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH. WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON?
HONG KONG S POSITION IS UNIQUE, THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ITS FUTURE ARE ALSO UNIQUE. THIS UNIQUENESS NEEDS TO BB UNDERSTOOD IF ANYONE IS TO HAVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE TERRITORY NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.
IN 1997, HONG KONG WILL BECOME A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION (SAR) OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. IT WILL REMAIN CAPITALIST.
POLICY AND IT WILL ADMINISTER ITSELF, EXCEPT IN THE AREAS OF FOREIGN DEFENCE, WHICH WILL. BE CHINA'S RESPONSIBILITY JUST AS THEY ARE CURRENTLY HANDLED BY BRITAIN. FOR THIS UNIQUE AND FAR-REACHING CONCEPT, THE CHINESE HAVE COINED THE PHRASE, "ONE SYSTEMS" BY THIS THEY MEAN THAT HONG KONG'S CAPITALIST SYSTEM AND SOCIETY WILL BE MAINTAINED SEPARATELY FROM CHINA'S EVEN THOUGH HONG KONG WILL BE A PART OF THE SAME COUNTRY.
COUNTRY,
COMMUNIST
TWO
SYSTEM,
THE "ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS" CONCEPT IS UNCHARTED TERRITORY. IT HAS NEVER BEEN TRIED ELSEWHERE. ITS VERY UNIQUENESS UNDERSTANDABLY LEADS PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THOSE NOT CLOSE TO THE SCENE, TO WONDER IF IT CAN WORK.
BR IT IS NATURAL THAT QUESTIONS SHOULD
ASKED
THE ABOUT VIABILITY OF COMMUNISM AND CAPITALISM CO-EXISTING. BUT I BELIEVE THAT THOSE QUESTIONS CAN BE AND ARE BEING SATISFACTORILY ANSWERED.
/IN CONSIDERING