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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1992
QUESTION:
MR PATTON, I REFER TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO CENTRED YOUR QUESTION - I DIDN'T CATCH YOUR ANSWER. I THINK THE QUESTION WAS: WILL BRITAIN BE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE DEMOCRACY FOR HONG KONG IN RETURN FOR GOOD RELATIONS WITH CHINA?
WELL,
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GOVERNOR:
I IMAGINE WHAT THE PRIME MINISTER OR FOREIGN SECRETARY WOULD SAY WERE THEY HERE, IS THAT THEY HOPED THEY COULD SEE BOTH THE PROMOTION OF GREATER DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG AND GOOD RELATIONS WITH CHINA. YOU'LL HAVE NOTICED THAT THE PRIME MINISTER, YESTERDAY, MADE A STATEMENT IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS WHICH WAS STRONGLY SUPPORTIVE OF WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING AND THE POLICIES THAT I'VE BEEN PUTTING FORWARD. I DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE WILL BE ABLE TO SLIP A PIECE OF TISSUE-PAPER BETWEEN THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG AND HIS FRIENDS AND FORMER COLLEAGUES IN THE CABINET OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. I THINK IT WOULD BE FOOLHARDY OF ANYBODY TO TRY TO DO SO. BUT WHAT I AM MORE CONCERNED ABOUT IS ATTEMPTS TO SLIP TISSUE-PAPER BETWEEN ME AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ON THESE MATTERS THERE IS EVEN A MILLI-OUNCE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY VIEWS AND THE VIEWS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.
SPEAKER:
GOVERNOR, YOU BEGAN EARLY THIS DAY, IN BEIJING. WE'RE SO GRATEFUL THAT YOU WOULD COME AND SHARE WITH US TONIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ON BEHALF OF THE FREEDOM FORUM TRUSTEES, I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT TO YOU THIS CRYSTAL GLOBE. THIS GLOBE DOES TWO OR THREE THINGS AT ONE TIME: ONE, IT'S A PERFECT WAY FOR OUR TRUSTEES TO END OUR SIX-NATION TOUR, TO REINFORCE FREE PRESS, FREE SPEECH AND FREE SPIRIT. IT ALSO HELPS US IN THE UNITED STATES, AT A TIME WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER TO LOOK INWARD OR OUTWARD, TO LOOK OUTWARD AND TO ASIA AND TO HONG KONG. AND THEN FINALLY, PERHAPS, WITH YOUR BOLD LOOK AT THE FUTURE, PERHAPS THIS MIGHT BE A CRYSTAL-BALL AS WELL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
GOVERNOR:
THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED FOR THAT GIFT. IT COMES, WITH YOUR REMARKS ABOUT A SOCIETY AND A COUNTRY ABOUT WHICH I FEEL MORE PASSIONATELY THAN ANY OTHER. ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE SCHOLARSHIP WHICH I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE WHEN I WAS A YOUNG
MAN, IS THAT I HAVE GROWN UP A FIRM AND COMMITTED AMERICOPHILE.
I HOPE THAT YOU'LL REMEMBER THAT WHEN FROM TIME TO TIME OVER THE NEXT YEARS, YOU READ ABOUT ME LOBBYING ENERGETICALLY IN THE UNITED STATES IN FAVOUR OF FREE TRADE, OPEN TRADE WHICH FRANKLY, MATTERS MORE TO THIS COMMUNITY, ARGUABLY, THAN ALMOST ANY OTHER ISSUE. SO WHEN I'M DOING THAT AND OCCASIONALLY SEEMING RATHER DEMOTIC, JUST REMEMBER THAT THE WORDS ARE COMING FROM SOMEBODY WHO HAS AN UNQUALIFIED ADMIRATION OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE VALUES THAT YOU'VE REPRESENTED FOR THE LAST 200 YEARS.
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