16
TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 1991
MR
THEREFORE
HURD: WELL. I THINK THAT IS A MATTER FOR THE GOVERNOR, I CHOSE MY WORDS RATHER GENERALLY IN ANSWERING THE AND I KNOW FROM WHAT HE SAID TO ME, THE GOVERNOR ANXIOUS TO DEAL OPENLY ON THESE MATTERS.
QUESTION,
ו!
J
BARLIER IS VERY
PETER MAEXP:
T YOU THINK, FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW, THAT THE HONG KONG PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW, BECAUSE THEY WILL BE CERTAINLY TUF MEMBERS OF THE POPULACP OF THE 8.A.R. GOVERNMENT? ISN'T IT THEIR RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT DEALS ARE BEING MADE AT A HIGHER LEVEL THAT AFFECT THEM?
MR HURD: THERE WILL BE, FROM SEPTEMBER, A DIRECTLY ELECTED ELEMENT IN LEGCO AND WE HOPE THAT THAT WILL RUN RIGHT THROUGH 1995, 1997, AND THERE WILL BE THEREFORE A DIRECTLY ELECTED ELEMENT TO ENQUIRE AND LOOK INTO PRECISELY THESE THINGS. AND I THINK THAT I WILL REST ON WHAT I'VE SAID, THAT THE GOVERNOR SIR DAVID WILSON IS VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR QUESTION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF DEALING IN THE WAY I HAVE DESCRIBED, I DON'T THINK I'D BETTER GO BEYOND THAT.
Y.C. LEUNG (HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL): MR HURD, CAN YOU ASSURE THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THAT ANY DECISION OR AGREEMENT WHICH INCLUDES PEKING WOULD NOT BE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG?
—
MR WURD: WE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAVE NO INTERESTS IN OUR DEALINGS WITH CHINA WHICH IN ANY WAY MATCH IN IMPORTANCE TO THE INTERESTS OP PROTECTING HONG KONG. ALL THE OTHER THINGS I DISCUSSED WITH THE PEKING LEADERS THERE WERE QUITE A FEW AS I TOLD YOU INTERNATIONAL MATTERS, MIDDLE EAST, BI-LATERAL MATTERS BUT NONE OF THEM HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THE SAME SIGNIFICANCE AS THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AND THE MATTERS WE DISCUSSED ABOUT THAT. SO THE IDEA WHICH I HAVE COME ACROSS HERE BEFORE THAT THERE ARE SOME SUBTLE BUT SUBSTANTIAL PURELY BRITISH INTERESTS TO WHICH HONG KONG IS SACRIFICED, ARE NONSENSE. NO ONE CAN IDENTIFY SUCH INTERESTS BECAUSE THEY DON'T EXIST. OBVIOUSLY, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE A FRIENDLY AND REASONABLE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA AS WE WOULD WITH ANY COUNTRY. BUT THE ISSUE WHICH IS OF SUPREME IMPORTANCE IN DEALINGS BETWEEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND CHINA IS THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG. I HOPE THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
ORT
JOHN ELLIOTT (FINANCIAL TIMES): IF IT PROVES IMPOSSIBLE TO AGREEMENT WITH CHINA ON THE AIRPORT WOULD YOU THEN CONSIDER OR BE PREPARED TO ENCOURAGE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER BUILDING THE AIRPORT USING OTHER FINANCES WITHOUT USING THE PRIVATE SECTOR THEREFORE WITHOUT NEEDING CHINA'S APPROVAL ?
AND
MR HURD: NO SUCH PROJECT HAS BEEN PREPARED. I DON'T WANT ΤΟ SAY NEVER TO ANYTHING, BUT ALL I CAN TELL YOU AT THIS TIME IS THAT THE PROJECT WHICH HAS BEEN PREPARED IN SUBSTANTIAL DETAIL ON WHICH THE INFORMATION HAS BEEN PASSED TO THE CHINESE IN VARIOUS FORMS, A PROJECT· WHICH HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO ME NOW AND ON TWO VISITS IN 1990 AND AGAIN THIS YEAR, THE PROJECT WHICH WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IS A PROJECT WHICH HAS THIS VERY SUBSTANTIAL PRIVATE SECTOR INPUT. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A HONG KONG GOVERNMENT PROJECT. I DON'T THINK YOU CAN EXPECT ME TO GO BEYOND THAT.
/DANIELA DEANE