MONDAY, JULY 3, 1989
THERE HAD BEEN A CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE CHINESE THROUGH THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP AND OTHER CHANNELS SINCE 1985, TO ENSURE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THE JOINT DECLARATION WOULD BE FULLY IMPLEMENTED, HE NOTED.
SIR GEOFFREY SAID THAT HAVING BEEN DEEPLY AND ENERGETICALLY INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS ON THE JOINT DECLARATION, THERE SHOULD BE NO DOUBT ABOUT HIS COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, WHICH WAS ALSO SHARED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT,
"NOW, AFTER TIANANMEN, WE SHALL BE WORKING ALL THE HARDER, WITH ALL THE MORE VIGOUR, AND ALL THE MORE DETERMINATION ΤΟ MAKE HONG KONG'S FUTURE AS SECURE AS IT CAN BE MADE,' HE SAID.
TOO,
+
"THE CHINESE HAVE SAID PUBLICLY, AND HAVE ASSURED US PRIVATELY THAT THEIR POLICY TOWARDS HONG KONG WILL NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE RECENT EVENTS, AND THAT THEY, LIKE US, REMAIN COMMITTED ΤΟ THE JOINT DECLARATION," HE ADDED.
"WE NATURALLY WELCOME THAT. AND WE NOW LOOK ΤΟ THEM то DEMONSTRATE BY THEIR ACTIONS THAT THEY MEAN WHAT THEY SAY, FOR THERE IS MUCH THAT THEY NEED TO DO TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE THEY HAVE DONE, SIR GEOFFREY SAID.
14
THE FOREIGN SECRETARY POINTED OUT THAT CHINA'S ECONOMIC STAKE IN HONG KONG WAS COLOSSAL, AND IT WAS BIG ENOUGH IN 1984 WHEN CHINESE LEADER DENG XIAOPING REACHED AGREEMENT WITH BRITAIN OVER THE JOINT DECLARATION.
"IT IS FAR BIGGER TODAY, FIVE YEARS LATER, AS HE FACES HUGE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN CHINA, LET ALONE THE POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES THAT HAVE BEEN DOMINATING OUR HEADLINES, SIR GEOFFREY SAID.
"WE
H
HAVE NEVER BEEN STARRY EYED ABOUT THE REASON WHY THE CHINESE MADE THE AGREEMENT WITH US. THEY DID SO BECAUSE IT WAS IN THEIR INTERESTS THAT HONG KONG SHOULD BE STABLE AND PROSPEROUS.
"AND IN THEIR INTERESTS, AS MUCH AS IN HONG KONG'S, THAT THE SYSTEMS OF CHINA AND HONG KONG SHOULD REMAIN SEPARATE FROM EACH OTHER. THOSE INTERESTS HAVE NOT CHANGED, HE SAID.
וו
"CHINA'S NEW LEADERS SHOULD BE FULLY AWARE OF THIS. GENERAL SECRETARY, JIANG ZEMIN, AS MAYOR OF SHANGHAI, HAS HIMSELF HAD ΤΟ GRAPPLE WITH CHINA'S FORMIDABLE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES," HE ADDED.
HONG
HE NOTED THAT SINCE CHINA'S GENERAL SECRETARY HAD VISITED KONG AND BRITAIN BEFORE, MR JIANG AND HIS COLLEAGUES MUST SER THAT CHINA'S OWN INTERESTS LAID IN DOING EVERYTHING IN THEIR RESTORE THE CONFIDENCE ON WHICH HONG KONG'S FUTURE DEPENDED.
POWER TO PROSPERITY
"BRITAIN
WILL THEREFORE SPARE NO EFFORT TO WORK FOR FUTURE FOR HONG KONG AFTER 1997, SIR GEOFFREY SAID.
"
A SECURE
THE FOREIGN
P