WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 1973
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GOVERNOR'S MEDIA BRIEFING IN WASHINGTON
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FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA BRIEFING BY TI! GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, AT FOUR
AT FOUR SEASONS HOTEL WASHINGTON, DC, ON MAY 5 (WEDNESDAY).
GOVERNOR: GOOD MORNING. I'VE MADE 4 SPEECHES SO FAR THIS WEEK, AND DONE ABOUT 10 STAND-UPS, ANSWERED YOUR QUESTIONS ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, AND I GUESS THE SENSIBLE THING FOR ME TO DO IS TO LET YOU ASK SOME MORE, RATHER THAN SUBJECT YOU TO ANOTHER OF MY SPEECHES.
WHO WOULD LIKE TO START? YES.
MR CHUGANI: I WAS JUST GOING TO ASK YOU THIS: OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS YOU HAVE DESCRIBED AS ABSURD CERTAIN CHINESE CHARGES THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO INTERNATIONALISE HONG KONG. OVER THE PAST 3 DAYS YOU HAVE MET WITH THE PRESIDENT IN THE WHITE HOUSE, YOU HAVE MET WITH OTHER VERY SENIOR AMERICAN LEADERS. THE NEW ADMINISTRATION HAS NOT SO FAR MET WITH SENIOR CHINESE LEADERS, AND AFTER MEETING WITH YOU THESE AMERICAN LEADERS HAVE GIVEN ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT TO YOUR PROPOSALS FOR GREATER DEMOCRACY.
GOVERNOR: WELL. THAT IS TRUE.
MR CHUGANI: WELL, THAT'S TRUE. WITH THIS MIX OF FACTORS, HOW DO YOU THINK THIS WILL PLAY IN CHINA? DO YOU THINK IT WILL INCREASE TENSION BETWEEN THE ALREADY TENSE RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND HONG KONG?
GOVERNOR: WELL. IT'S NOT FOR ME TO MAKE UP ON THE HOOF THE POLICY OF A NEW U.S. ADMINISTRATION ON CHINA, THOUGH I'M SURE THAT WHEN SENIOR CHINESE LEADERS VISIT WASHINGTON THEY WILL BE TREATED WITH THE SAME COURTESY AND INTEREST THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO ME.
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BUT LET ME GO BACK TO YOUR
TO THE PREMISE, THE TRUTH AS RECORDED BY THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY, OR SOMETHING APPROACHING TO WHAT THE NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY SAYS IS THE TRUTH, THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF HONG KONG.
IT IS AN ABSURD ARGUMENT OR CHARGE. HONG KONG IS AN OPEN CITY. IT'S AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. IT'S THE TENTH LARGEST TRADING COMMUNITY IN THE WORLD. HUGELY IMPORTANT REGIONALLY AND GLOBALLY AS A COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL CENTRE. IT IS NOW, AND IT IS ALL OUR AIMS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS FOR THE INDEFINITE FUTURE.
SO JUST AS THE 28TH BRITISH GOVERNOR FINDS IT NECESSARY TO TRAVEL TO REPRESENT HONG KONG'S INTERESTS AROUND THE WORLD, SO WILL THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE SAR AFTER 1997 IF SHE OR HE IS DOING HER OR HIS JOB PROPERLY. IT'S A STATEMENT OF THE BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS TO MOST OF US.
IT'S ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT AT THE MOMENT A RELATIVELY NEW U.S. ADMINISTRATION IS TRYING TO SHAPE ITS POLICY ON CHINA, ON TRADE, AND PARTICULARLY RELEVANT TO US, ON MFN STATUS FOR CHINA. SO THIS IS A PARTICULARLY GOOD MOMENT FOR HONG KONG TO BE PUTTING ITS CASE ON TRADE AND ON MFN TO A NEW ADMINISTRATION AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP.
/AGAIN, I