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SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1993
THEY TOOK UMBRAGE AT THE FACT THAT WE HAD DEMONSTRATED THAT WE HAD A BOTTOM LINE. THEY DENOUNCED US AND UPHILL AND DOWN DALE.
WE BRGAN TALKS WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS THREE WEEKS AGO. SEVERAL MONTHS LATE BUT AS THEY SAY, BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.
WE'VE HAD TWO ROUNDS OF TALKS, FIVE DAYS OF DISCUSSIONS SO FAR. THE NEXT ROUND OF TALKS BEGINS IN A FORTNIGHT'S TIME. AND WE'VE ENTERED THOSE TALKS IN GOOD FAITH AND HOPE THEY PRODUCE A TOLERABLE SET OF ARRANGEMENTS ACCEPTABLE TO THE FUTURE SOVERFIGN, ACCEPTABLE ΤΟ THE PRESENT SOVEREIGN AND ABOVE ALL, ACCEPTABLE TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.
I THINK THE ARGUMENT MATTERS FOR ONE VERY SIMPLE REASON, OVER THE YEARS I SUPPOSE YOU COULD SAY THAT HONG KONG WAS PRETTY UNIQUE IN HAVING ADAM SMITH IN PERMANENT RESIDENCE. BUT IT'S BEEN UNIQUE FOR AN EVEN MORE SUBSTANTIAL AND LONGLASTING REASON.
THE COMBINATION OF SHANGHAINESE, CANTONESE ENTREPRENEURIALISM AND THE RULE OF LAW. IT'S THE RULE OF LAW WHICH MAKES HONG KONG REALLY SPECIAL AND IT'S THE RULE OF LAW WHICH GUARANTEES HONG KONG'S WAY OF LIFE AND IN MY JUDGMENT, GUARANTEES HONG KONG'S CONTINUING PROSPERITY AS WELL.
WILL SIX
THE RULE OF LAW ISN'T JUST ABOUT JUDGES IN WIGS, IT'S ALSO ABOUT A FREE PRESS. IT'S ABOUT A CREDIBLE, NOT NECESSARILY A TOTALLY DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE BODY, AND WE ARE DETERMINED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN BEFORE 1997, TO INSURE THAT THE RULE OF LAW SURVIVES AFTERWARDS.
AND ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS,
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IF WE DON'T STAND UP FOR HONG KONG'S SYSTEM BEFORE 1997, I'M LESS THAN CONVINCED THAT ANYBODY STAND UP FOR IT AFTER 1997. AND THEN IT WON'T ONLY BE THE ALMOST MILLION PEOPLE WHO WILL STILL BE THERE WHO WILL HAVE REASON TO BE CONCERNED. IT'S ALSO THOSE IN BUSINESS AND COMMERCE WHO ARE AT PRESENT IN MANY CASES, A LITTLE CRITICAL. BUT VERY OFTEN HAVE BRITISH AND AMERICAN AND CANADIAN PASSPORTS. THEY ALSO, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997, WILL I THINK HAVE REASON TO REGRET WHAT'S HAPPENED.
BECAUSE HONG KONG WON'T BE AS PROPEROUS A PLACE EITHER. THINK WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IN HONG KONG IS RATHER LIKE THOSE VICTORIAN HYMNS THAT THEY USED TO SING, WHICH USED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT DOING WHAT WAS RIGHT AND WHAT THE ALMIGHTY APPROVED PRETTY GOOD FOR BUSINESS.
AND I THINK THAT'S TRUE IN HONG KONG. THANK YOU,
OF, WAS ALSO
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