THAT IS AN EXTRAORDINARY TERRITORY IS CHINA'S MAIN TRADING PARTNER FACT BUT IT IS TRUE. MOST OF THE EXTERNAL INVESTMENT IN CHINA WHICH GOES TO CHINESE MODERNISATION, MOST OF THAT COMES FROM HONG KONG OR THROUGH HONG KONG. A GREAT DEAL OF CHINA'S FOREIGN EXCHANGE IS EARNED THROUGH HONG KONG, SO THERE IS A VERY REAL INTEREST THAT THE CHINESE HAVE, AS THEY MODERNISE THEIR ECONOMY, WHICH THEY ARE DETERMINED TO SO THAT IS ANOTHER DO, IN PRESERVING THOSE ADVANTAGES IN HONG KONG. VERY PRACTICAL REASON WHY THEY SHOULD STICK TO THE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH THEY SIGNED UP TO IN THAT TREATY IN 1984.
OLIVER SCOTT: SIR DAVID, NO DOUBT MANY PEOPLE WILL BE STRUCK BY WHAT AS YOU WELL YOU HAVE JUST SAID AS BEING VERY REASSURING, BUT THERE IS, KNOW, ANOTHER SCHOOL OF THOUGHT TO THE EFFECT THAT 'TWO SYSTEMS ONE COUNTRY' SIMPLY CAN'T WORK THAT WHAT IS ALLOWED TO WORK IN HONG KONG FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS OUGHT TO BE ALLOWED TO WORK FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. THERE SEEMS TO BE JUST SOME KIND OF HUGE DISPARITY THERE.
T
IT IS SIR DAVID: YES, OF COURSE PEOPLE DO HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT THAT. AN EXTRAORDINARILY AMBITIOUS IDEA, THIS *ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS'. THE MAINLAND OF CHINA, THAT HUGE AREA IN THE MAINLAND CONTINUING TO RUN A COMMUNIST OR A SOCIALIST SYSTEM, AND THIS TINY LITTLE PLACE HONG KONG ON THE COAST OF CHINA, BY TREATY RUNNING A SYSTEM WHICH IS PROBABLY MORE CAPITALIST, MORE FREE MARKET THAN ANY OTHER PART OF THE WORLD. IT IS A VERY AMBITIOUS CONCEPT WHICH DENG XIAOPING HIMSELF HAD. NOW, OF COURSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO SAY, WELL, WILL IT WORK? IT IS NOT OUR JOB HAS TO BE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DOES WORK, THAT SOMETHING THAT IS JUST WRITTEN DOWN ON A PIECE OF PAPER BUT AS MANY AS ARE POSSIBLE OF THE PRACTICAL CONDITIONS TO ENSURE THAT IT DOES WORK,
SO THAT IT HAS A CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND THAT IS WHAT THERE.
IF ONE DIDN'T HAVE ALL OF US HERE ARE TRYING TO WORK TOWARDS. NOW, THIS 'ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS' CONCEPT, AGAIN ONE GOES BACK TO THE WHAT WOULD ONE HAVE IN ITS PLACE? ONE WOULD HAVE HONG QUESTION:
BECOMING PART OF THE KONG SIMPLY BEING RE-INCORPORATED INTO CHINA, MAINLAND SYSTEM OF CHINA, THE COMMUNIST SYSTEM OF CHINA, AND I DON'T THINK THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WANTED. IT'S NOT WHAT THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP DECIDED TO GO FOR BECAUSE THEY REALISE THAT HAVING A SEPARATE SYSTEM IN HONG KONG IS WHAT IS GOING TO MAKE HONG KONG REALLY USEFUL TO CHINA AS WELL AS BEING WHAT MOST PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ACTUALLY WANT. SO WE MUST NOW TRY TO MAKE OUT OF THIS IMAGINATIVE INTO TRYING TO CONCEPT A PRACTICAL REALITY AND PUT ALL OUR EFFORTS
SIMPLY HAFE SURE THAT IT DOES WORK AND NOT, I WOULD SUGGEST, QUESTIONING IT. OF COURSE PEOPLE HAVE DOUBTS BUT WE HAVE TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DOES WORK.
WELL, OLIVER SCOTT:
LET'S BRING IN A CALLER NOW FROM HONG KONG, NANCY LANGSTON, WHO HAS GOT A NEW ANGLE ON THIS. MISS LANGSTON.
LET'S
CALLER: YES, SIR DAVID, YOUR DUAL ROLE AS GOVERNOR AND, WELL, BE FRANK, AS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE FOREIGN OFFICE, MUST HAVE PULLED YOU YOUR IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. WITH WHOM DO YOUR LOYALTIES LIE BOSSES IN LONDON OR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG?
SIR DAVID:
-
-
YOU'RE CALLING FROM JUST DOWN THE ROAD AND YOU'VE GIVEN AM AN EMPLOYEE OF THE ME A VERY EASY QUESTION BECAUSE YOU SAY I
AND, IF FOREIGN OFFICE - NO, I AM NOT, I AM AN EMPLOYEE OF HONG KONG.
IF YOU'RE A HONG KONG TAXPAYER, YOU IT IS OF INTEREST TO YOU, CONTRIBUTE TO MY SALARY; THE FOREIGN OFFICE AND THE UNITED KINGDOM DO
6