MINISTER OF STATE GIVES PRESS CONFERENCE
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, MR FRANCIS MAUDE ON APRIL 11, 1990:
MR MAUDE:
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WELL, THIS HAS BEEN MY THIRD VISIT TO HONG KONG. AS ALWAYS WHEN I COME TO HONG KONG, I'VE BEEN HUGELY IMPRESSED BY THE DYNAMISM OF THE PLACE; I'VE BEEN IMPRESSED BY THE INVESTMENT THAT IS GOING ON; THE LONG TERM PLANNING THAT IS GOING ON HERE. I'VE BEEN IMPRESSED BY THE BRIEFING I HAVE BEEN GIVIN ON THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT SCHEME, SHOWING THAT HONG KONG IS CASTING ITS MIND AND ITS PLANS WELL FORWARD INTO THE NEXT CENTURY.
OF AND
I HAVE NOTICED, ALSO, THE INCREDIBLE VITALITY, AS ALWAYS, REALLY ALL ASPECTS OF HONG KONG'S LIFE. NOT JUST THE COMMERCIAL THE INDUSTRIAL LIFE OF HONG KONG, BUT THE WORK ON EDUCATION - SHOWN IN MY VISIT TO THE POLYTECHNIC THIS MORNING, IN MY DISCUSSIONS WITH STUDENTS THERE; WORK ON HOUSING IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
AGAIN SHOWN BY MY VISIT TO WONG TAI SIN, YESTERDAY. IT ALL SEEMS, TO ME, TO BE EVIDENCE THAT HONG KONG IS LOOKING FORWARD, IS NOT LOOKING BACK; IT IS CASTING ITS EYES, AS I SAY, WELL FORWARD INTO THE NEXT CENTURY. AND AS ALWAYS, I FIND AN INSPIRATION IN HONG KONG'S 'CAN DO' ATTITUDE. IT'S A PLACE WHERE YOU SIMPLY DON'T HEAR THE WORD 'CAN'T'.
RENEWED IT IS LEAVING BUT THE
ON THE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE, I TAKE BACK DETERMINATION THAT A SOLUTION MUST BE FOUND TO THIS PROBLEM. GOOD, OF COURSE, THAT THERE ARE MORE VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE HONG KONG THAN THERE ARE ARRIVING THAT'S ENCOURAGING. CENTRAL MESSAGE HAS TO BE, AS IT HAS HAD TO BE THROUGHOUT, THAT FOR BOAT PEOPLE COMING HERE, THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE FOR THEM
TO BUT RETURN TO VIETNAM. AND THAT MUST BE UNDERSTOOD BACK IN VIETNAM. AND THAT MEANS THAT THE POLICY OF VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION HAS TO UNDERPIN THE WHOLE OF OUR APPROACH. AND THAT IS THE APPROACH NOT JUST OF US, BUT OF THE WHOLE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, EXCEPT PERHAPS FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
ON THE NATIONALITY PACKAGE THE MESSAGE I SHALL TAKE BACK IS THAT HONG KONG HAS GREATLY APPRECIATED THE FIRM STANCE THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN; THE INTENTION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT TO GIVE FIRM SUPPORT TO THE TERRITORY. THE MESSAGE THAT THE PACKAGE HAS GIVEN HOPE TO HONG KONG, AND THAT IT WOULD BE DISASTROUS FOR HONG KONG SHOULD IT FAIL.
I BELIEVE THAT HONG KONG HAS BEEN GIVEN A FURTHER SUBSTANTIAL BOOST BY THE ACCUMULATED PLEDGES AND POTENTIAL PLEDGES THAT I WAS ABLE AND THAT TO ANNOUNCE YESTERDAY FROM ELSEWHERE AROUND THE WORLD. SIMPLY REFLECTS THE WIDESPREAD INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS INTEREST THERE IS, THE STAKE THAT THERE IS, IN HONG KONG FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.
THAT
/2........