THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1992
INDEED,
FOR
THE
POSITION. SIR DAVID:
WELL, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THAT I'VE MADE THE POINT VERY CLEARLY THAT THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1995
NEED TO BE VERY COMPREHENSIVE. ELECTIONS
WE HAVE PUT
7 FORWARD PROPOSALS. WHERE IN THE BASIC LAW CAN ANYONE POINT TO THE PROPOSALS FOR A BOUNDARY COMMISSION, FOR VOTING AGE, FOR A VOTING SYSTEM, THE RE-ORGANISATION OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS, FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES, OR
ΤΟ THE ELECTION COMMITTEE. WE CAN FIND NO SOLUTION
BASIC OF HOW THOSE ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BE MADE IN THE QUESTION CLEARLY, THEY NEED TO BE DISCUSSED. INDEED, IN THE PUBLICATION OF THE DETAILED LETTERS YESTERDAY, THERE IS A REFERENCE TO THE FACT THAT THE
TO ARRANGEMENTS WILL HAVE TO BE DISCUSSED. WE FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION IN WHICH THE CHINESE SIDE ARE SAYING NOW THAT THERE IS NO NEED TO PUT FORWARD PROPOSALS. WE CLEARLY BELIEVE THERE IS SUCH A NEED.
LAW,
QUESTION:
BUT THE CHINESE SEEM TO BE SAYING THAT DOUGLAS HURD HAS IN
THEY ARE AGREED,
INDEED, PRINCIPLE, ON THE ELECTION COMMITTEE. LIKELY TO POINT TO A PROPOSED FORMULA WHICH WAS PUT FORWARD BY BRITISH
CLOSER FOR THE ELECTION COMMITTEE WHICH SEEMS TO BE MUCH
DO THE BASIC
FORWARD. LAW THAN WHAT MR PATTEN IS NOW PUTTING THINK
THEREFORE, HAS CHINA,
A CASE THAT POSSIBLY
PATTEN MR DEPARTING FROM THE SPIRIT OF PAST UNDERSTANDING?
DAVID:
THE
ΤΟ
YOU
IS
ON
THIS
SIR
IF CHINA BELIEVES THERE IS AN UNDERSTANDING MATTER, THEN IT WILL BE VERY INTERESTING TO HEAR FROM THE CHINESE SIDE
THE DETAILED WHAT
HAS PROPOSAL IS ON WHICH THERE
BEEN AGREEMENT.
NO CERTAINLY WE DO NOT BELIEVE THERE IS SUCH AN AGREEMENT AND WE HAVE INDICATION FROM THE BASIC LAW OR FROM ANYWHERE ELSE WHERE IT MIGHT BE;
CLEARLY
MEET IF THERE IS A PROPOSAL WHICH WILL BUT
THE PRINCIPLES WHICH MR PATTEN HAS LAID DOWN, THEN WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO DISCUSS IT.
QUESTION:
DO YOU FEAR THE CONSEQUENCES OF A PROLONGED ON THIS, INSOFAR AS IT MIGHT HARM HONG KONG ECONOMICALLY?
STAND-OFF
SIR DAVID:
I HOPE THAT ANY DISAGREEMENTS THAT WE ARE HAVING CHINA OVER THIS SUBJECT WOULD NOT SPILL OVER INTO ANY OTHER AREAS. WOULD BE VERY SAD INDEED IF THE CHINESE SIDE ALLOWED THE ON
TRADE MATTERS TO BE
AFFECTED BY
WITH IT
RELATIONSHIP
AND ECONOMIC
THIS POLITICAL DISCUSSION. I SAID IN MY SPEECH YESTERDAY THAT WE DO VALUE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA AND WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT DOING ANYTHING TO TRY TO DAMAGE THAT RELATIONSHIP AT ALL IN ANY WAY. THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WOULD APPRECIATE ANYTHING WHICH WAS BY THE CHINESE SIDE WHICH AFFECTED THE LONG TERM STABILITY PROSPERITY OF THIS COMMUNITY.
AND I DO NOT
BELIEVE
DONE AND
QUESTION:
OKAY, THANKS A LOT.
/5