13
SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1993
first time it doesn't create any solutions [ ? and they're to extend it till next week. What is what-- your response to?
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GOVERNOR 'PATTEN:
I haven't had a report yet on the meeting about land disposals. very much hope that it leads to an early and satisfactory- conclusion.
On the first question, I think were threats to be made against individual public officials in Hong Kong, by members of the New China News Agency--the whole Hong Kong community would deplora them, but I haven't seen the specific terms of the charge which you say was made..
QUESTION:
Does the contingency plan that you have, if MPN was not renewed, what would be the immediate impact on Hong Kong?
GOVERNOR PATTEN:
There have been some economic models which suggest that if we were to lose MFN the impact on Hong Kong would be to halve our economic growth rate and to lose about 70,000 jobs.
I'm not sure that it's always wise to be that categoric in economic modelling. Hong Kong is a very flexible market economy and I'm sure would adjust to any loss of MFN or substantial constraint on MFN.
But one could not avoid there being some impact on the Hong Kong economy in the short term. We--it's difficult to see how you could plan for an eventuality the precise nature of which you don't know, but we may well find ourselves having to take short term action to deal with at least some of the consequences,
Couple more. Who hasn't--anybody hasn't asked one? One two. Yeah?
QUESTION:
Governor, [ ?
GOVERNOR PATTEN:
That I have what?
QUESTION:
you have conditional--
Seems that you have a set of conditions [?] --if so, do you understand [ ?
?
GOVERNOR PATTEN:
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I haven't accepted any such thing. I've gone on arguing for MFN renewal but I've also said that it's plainly the case that the Administration is in the middle of looking at and reviewing its policy, and I think it must be plain to all of you who've been coming round with me for the last few days, as it is to me, that it's unlikely that the policy of this Administration on trade with China is going to be identical to the policy of the last administration.
/BUT WE'LL