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FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1993
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POLITICS SHOULD SEPARATE FROM TRADE ISSUES: GOVERNOR
THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, SAID HE WOULD CERTAINLY BE ARGUING AGAINST ALLOWING POLITICS TO DETERMINE TRADE ISSUES WHEN HE WENT TO THE UNITED STATES, AS HE WAS IN EUROPE.
SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER A MEETING WITH THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY, SIR LEON BRITTAN, IN
BRUSSELS YESTERDAY (THURSDAY), THE GOVERNOR SAID HE WOULD BE SURPRISED IF CHINESE OFFICIALS TRIED TO LINK TRADE AND POLITICS.
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中 AFTER ALL CHINA HAS A HUGE TRADE SURPLUS WITH THE UNITED IT IS NOT AS THOUGH IT WAS THE OTHER WAY ROUND, HE NOTED.
"SECONDLY, WE KNOW VERY WELL THAT IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, IN THE GATT, IN OTHER INTERNATIONAL TRADE FORA PEOPLE TRY VERY HARD, IT'S PART OF THE REGULATIONS, TO AVOID POLITICISING TRADE,' HE ADDED.
"AND I WOULD HOPE THAT CHINESE OFFICIALS WOULD SEE THE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, NOT LEAST WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE MFN STATUS FOR CHINA, HE SAID.
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ASKED ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF HIS OVERSEAS TRIPS, MR PATTEN SAID: "OVER THE YEARS GOVERNORS HAVE TRAVELLED TO A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD.
"HONG KONG IS THE 10TH LARGEST TRADING COMMUNITY IN THE WORLD. THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE IMPORTANT TRADING AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS AROUND THE WORLD, AND I WANT TO SEE THOSE RELATIONS GROW AND PROSPER.'
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HE ADDED THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD WAS CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN HONG KONG AND RECOGNISED THAT IT WAS PRINCIPALLY A MATTER FOR BRITAIN AND CHINA.
ON THE QUESTION OF INTERNATIONALISING THE SINO-BRITISH DISPUTE, THE GOVERNOR SAID: "HONG KONG IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TRADING COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD, AND IF PEOPLE DON'T THINK THAT THAT INVOLVES ARGUING THE CASE FOR HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC INTERESTS AROUND THE
WORLD, THEN THEY DON'T HAVE A VERY GOOD IDEA OF HONG KONG'S SHORT, MEDIUM AND LONG-TERM INTERESTS.
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ON THE MEETING WITH SIR LEON, THE GOVERNOR SAID THEY DISCUSSED THEIR MUTUAL INTEREST IN SEEING AN EARLY AND SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION THE URUGUAY ROUND.
"I STRESSED AGAIN HONG KONG'S COMPLETE COMMITMENT ΤΟ FREE TRADE,
AS I WILL BE DOING WHEN I GO TO WASHINGTON NEXT MONTH, AND WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY AND PROSPECT OF ESTABLISHING AN OFFICE IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.
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