MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1992
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SORT OF
ANYHOW, WE HAVE, AND WE JUST HAVE TO WORK WITH THAT INHERITED SUSPICION ON BOTH SIDES. WE'VE GOT TO WORK AT IT, WE LIVE NEXT DOOR TO EACH OTHER. IN 1997 SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG IS TRANSFERRED TO CHINA, WE CANNOT AVOID THOSE HISTORICAL FACTS, 30 WE HAVE
GOT TO WORK WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS MORE EFFORT GOING INTO BREAKING DOWN THOSE BARRIERS, BREAKING DOWN THE SUSPICIONS. IT MEANS LONG CONCENTRATED PATIENT WORK. IT MEANS PEOPLE TRAVELLING INTO CHINA AS YOUR GROUP DID INTO GUANGDONG BUT FROM THE GOVERNMENT AS WELL, AND I'M GLAD TO SAY WE HAVE HAD LARGE NUMBERS OF GROUPS GOING INTO CHINA.
WE HAD LAST YEAR, FOR INSTANCE, SOMETHING LIKE 145 OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT GROUPS WENT INTO CHINA AND A HUGE NUMBER OF CIVIL SERVANTS GO PRIVATELY INTO CHINA ON HOLIDAY AND A VERY GOOD THING TOO THAT THEY SHOULD. SO WE HAVE GOT TO TRY TO BUILD UP THAT RELATIONSHIP, ENCOURAGE . PEOPLE TO COME DOWN HERE FROM CHINA. I'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, SOMETHING LIKE FIVE PROVINCIAL GOVERNORS AND WELCOMED THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE OTHER CHINESE LEADERS COMING TO HONG KONG, HAVING A CHANCE TO TALK INFORMALLY AND SEE THE PLACE FOR THEMSELVES. WE REALLY HAVE TO WORK VERY HARD AT BUILDING UP THAT RELATIONSHIP FOR THE SAKE OF THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG.
WE
то
HAVE A MEETING THIS WEEK OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. THEY HAVE AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF WORK STILL TO DO. ALL SORTS OF TREATIES BE DEALT WITH, QUITE APART FROM THE SUBJECTS WHICH APPEARED
IN NEWSPAPERS WHICH EACH OF THEM HAS IT'S OWN PARTICULAR PROBLEMS.
THE
GET WITH
THE JLG NEEDS TO GET ON WITH THE WORK THAT'S BEFORE IT AND A LARGE BODY OF THOSE TREATIES AND THINGS WHICH HAVE TO BE DEALT BEFORE 1997, GET THEM SORTED OUT SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE SITUATION WILL BE IN 1997.
ALL OF THAT REQUIRES PATIENT LONG-TERM EFFORT ON BOTH SIDES AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, AND AS A CONCLUDING POINT, IS THAT FROM OUR SIDE, THAT IS, FROM THE SIDE OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, WE'RE DETERMINED TO TRY TO DO THAT. OUR OBJECTIVE IS QUITE A SIMPLE ONE. WE WANT TO WORK WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. IT IS THERE, THAT IS THE HISTORICAL TRUTH. WE WANT TO WORK WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK ΤΟ GIVE THE BEST POSSIBLE CHANCE TO THE FUTURE SAR OF SUCCEEDING, SO WE WANT POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS THAT SURVIVE, IN OTHER WORDS WE WANT STABILITY. WE WANT THE ECONOMY TO DO WELL, IN OTHER WORDS, WE WANT PROSPERITY AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE DETERMINED TO WORK AT. THANK YOU.
MODERATOR:
MAYBE I START THE QUESTION SESSION WITH ASKING THE GOVERNOR HAS HE INVESTED SOME OF HIS MONEY IN THE STOCK MARKET HERE IN HK WHILE HE WAS HERE IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND MADE GOOD USE OF HIS SALARY AND THEN THE FLOOR IS OPEN PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF AND WAIT FOR THE MICROPHONE.
GOVERNOR:
ALRIGHT I'LL ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION. IF YOU LOOK IN, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH IT IS, THE ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS OR THE LETTERS PATENT, THAT IS THE CONSTITUTIONAL DOCUMENTS FOR HONG KONG, YOU WILL SEE THAT THE GOVERNOR IS NOT ALLOWED TO PURCHASE LAND IN HONG KONG AND THAT IS BECAUSE APPARENTLY ONE VERY EARLY GOVERNOR TRIED TO DO THAT WHEN THE PRICES WERE LOW. SO I HAVE A SELF-DENYING ORDINANCE PERSONALLY THAT, AS A RESULT OF THAT SORT OF THING, I SHOULDN'T PERSONALLY INVEST IN THE HONG KONG STOCK MARKET. I GREATLY REGRET IT. I WOULD HAVE DONE VERY WELL IF I HAD.
/QUESTION: