MONDAY, JULY 27, 1992
10
PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR
POREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
THE RT HON DOUGLAS HURD MONDAY, 27TH JULY 1992
AT THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES
**
THE GOVERNOR:
GOOD AFTERNOON LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN.
I'M KONG
DELIGHTED THAT THE FOREIGN SECRETARY HAS BEEN ABLE TO VISIT HONG FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS SO SOON AFTER MY ARRIVAL AS GOVERNOR. HE IS A VERY WELCOME VISITOR AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM ON MANY FUTURE OCCASIONS. I KNOW THAT THE FOREIGN SECRETARY WOULD LIKE ΤΟ SAY A FEW THINGS HIMSELF, AND THEN IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS THOUGH THEY ARE NOT MANDATORY WE'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM UNTIL ABOUT HALF-PAST, BUT
WOULDN'T WANT TO DETAIN YOU FROM THE EVENING'S ENTERTAINMENTS FOR TOO LONG. FOREIGN SECRETARY.
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FOREIGN SECRETARY:
WELL, OF ALL THE MANY PLACES THAT J VISIT, THIS IS CERTAINLY THE MOST STIMULATING WITH YOUR HELP
AND I'M DELIGHTED TO FIND HONG KONG PULL OF ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM. YOU DESCRIBED IT IN YOUR SPERCH AT CITY HALL AS ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD' AND THAT IS UNDOUBTEDLY TRUE.
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WAS LAST HERE IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR, AND IT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING TO NOTE CHANGES BETWEEN VISITS. SINCE THEN OF COURSE, WE'VE HAD AN ELECTION IN BRITAIN WHICH WE WON AND WHICH ENSURES CONTINUITY IN BRITISH GOVERNMENT POLICY TOWARDS HONG KONG. IT ALSO HAD THE INDIRECT RESULT OF ENABLING US TO SEND ONE OF OUR STRONGEST POLITICAL LEADERS TO HONG KONG AS THE GOVERNOR.
ALL MY TALKS TODAY, AND MUCH THAT I'VE HEARD BEFORE, CONVINCES ME THAT CHRIS PATTEN HAS MADE A STRONG START AND YOU'LL DO WELL IN HIS HANDS.
[ WANTED, INDEED 1 AGREED WITH HIM BEFORE
HE LEFT LONDON, THAT I WOULD COME TO HAVE AN EARLY DISCUSSION WITH HIM TO TALK OVER SOMK OF THE POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND THE ISSUES INVOLVED. I'M NOT HERE, AS I HAVE MADE CLEAR FROM THE BEGINNING, то ANNOUNCE ANY QUICK DECISIONS ON THESE POLITICAL MATTERS. THE GOVERNOR ES CONSULTING VERY WIDELY AND THOROUGHLY AND HE WILL BE FORMING A VIEW, AND WE WILL BE FORMING A VIEW, IN THE AUTUMN.
I
WANTED
TO SER SOMETHING
J
OF NET DEVELOPMENTS. J SAW THE CONTAINER TERMINAL. A'T KWAI CHUNG THIS MORNING, WHICH IS SPRCTACULAR EVIDENCE OF HONG KONG AS THE CROSSROADS OF EUROPE AND ASIA, OF THE PACIFIC-R]M AND CHINA AND AS A FUNNEL BY WHICH CHINA'S TRADE REACHES THE OUTSIDE WORLD; THE WORLD'S BUSIEST CONTAINER PORT. I ALSO VISITED TSUEN WAN DISTRICT, WENT ROUND, WITH THE GOVERNOR, THE CLAGUE GARDEN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AN THE YURN YURN 1
INSTITUTE. MORE IMPORTANT, Į TALKED TO LISTENED TO
A WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE HERE. BUSINESS LEADERS AT LUNCH; THE CHAIRMEN OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS WHO DO A VERY SUBSTANTIAL AND IMPORTANT JOB, THIS MORNING; CHAIRMEN OF THE URBAN AND REGIONAL COUNCILS; OMELCO, THIS AFTERNOON; MEMBERS OF RXCO, THIS AFTERNOON. SO THAT'S QUITE A LOT LISTENING IN ONE DAY.
OF
/THREE SHORT