16
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1991
Q:
SIR DAVID, IN TALKING ABOUT RELATIONS WITH CHINA YOU SAID THERE WERE SUSPICIONS ON BOTH SIDES, COULD YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR OWN SUSPICIONS ARE ABOUT THE INTENTIONS OF THE BEIJING AUTHORITIES? AND IN A BID TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING ENOUGH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE ΤΟ THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES. CAN YOU TELL US IF THERE WILL BE ANY INFORMATION AT ALL WHICH WILL BE FIRST MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF CHINA OR THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES BEFORE IT IS MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PEOPLE
OF HONG KONG?
A.:
GOVERNOR :
THE SIMPLE ANSWER TO THE FIRST PART OF YOUR QUESTION IS, NO. I DON'T PROPOSE TO DO THAT. WHAT I WILL DO INSTEAD THOUGH IS THIS. IF YOU GO BACK IN HISTORY YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS SORT OF PROBLEM, THE SORT OF SUSPICIONS, THE SORT OF MYTHOLOGIES THAT BUILD UP ON BOTH SIDES IS NOTHING NEW AT ALL. IT CERTAINLY EXISTED IN THE 19TH CENTURY. IT EXISTED VERY STRONGLY IN THE 1920'S AND THE 1930'S, AND WHAT I DO BELIEVE IS THAT WE NEED TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THAT AS A PROBLEM. WE LIVE HERE IN HONG KONG IN A HIGH-SPEED, HIGH- TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY; INFORMATION FLOWS AROUND THIS PLACE
AT IMMENSE SPEED. SOME OF THAT INFORMATION ITSELF IS RUMOUR, GOSSIP, MYTHOLOGY, BUT WE ARE VERY USED TO WORKING OUT FOR OURSELVES WHICH IS MYTHOLOGY AND WHICH IS TRUE BECAUSE WE ARE BEING BOMBARDED WITH THIS SORT OF INFORMATION THE WHOLE TIME.
J
IN THE LET'S SEE HOW
WE HAVE TO TRY TO PUT OURSELVES, EVERY NOW AND THEN, MINDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING AT HONG KONG FROM OUTSIDE SAY FROM PEKING AND TRY TO LOOK AT IT THROUGH THEIR EYES AND THEY SEE IT. TRY TO SEE WHAT SORT OF MYTHOLOGY THEY MAY HAVE, SORT OF SUSPICIONS, AND TRY TO PIN THOSE DOWN AND DEAL WITH THEM. THE SAME ACTUALLY, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, APPLIES TO OUR DEALINGS WITH MANY OTHER PLACES IN THE WORLD BUT IT IS PARTICULARLY APPARENT IN DEALING WITH CHINA.
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WOULD
SOME
WITH IS
YOUR SECOND QUESTION WAS: WAS THERE INFORMATION THAT WE PASS TO CHINA BEFORE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG? INEVITABLY IN DISCUSSIONS THERE ARE THINGS WHICH WE WILL BE DISCUSSING EITHER THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT OR WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS BEFORE THAT AVAILABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, THAT IS AN INEVITABLE PART OF GOVERNMENT DISCUSSIONS. BUT ON A MAJOR PROJECT
SOMETHING LIKE, LET'S SAY THE AIRPORT WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS, AS WE TAKE DECISIONS AND ALL ALONG, LET ME SAY, WE'VE HAD TO HAVE IN OUR MINDS WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT PHASINGS FOR THE AIRPORT THAT WE MIGHT HAVE TO ADOPT AS WE LOOK AT THOSE, REACH CONCLUSIONS, MAKE DECISIONS, THEN THOSE THINGS WE WOULD LIKE TO DISSEMINATE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE WITH THE BACKGROUND REASONS FOR DOING IT, AND THEN SEEK APPROVAL AS IS NECESSARY. I MEAN THE PRECISE APPROVAL WE ALWAYS NEED IS THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, BUT ALSO WIDER UNDERSTANDING FROM PEOPLE IN HONG KONG.
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THINGS THAT