THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1993
MR CHIM PUI-CHUNG (THROUGH INTERPRETER) :
MR GOVERNOR, AT PRESENT HONG KONG CITIZENS ARE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT TWO THINGS. FIRST, THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS AND ITS OUTCOME IN THE 1993/94 ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS. THE SECOND THING THEY ARE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT IS THE RENEWAL OF MFN STATUS FOR CHINA BY U.S. SO YOU MADE A TRIP TO U.S. AND YOU COVERED THESE TWO QUESTIONS. REGARDING THE RENEWAL OF MFN, NO RESOLUTION OR NO SOLUTION IS IN SIGHT AND FOR THE OTHER QUESTION YOU CONVEYED THE MESSAGE TO UNITED STATES ABOUT THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS. SO WOULD IT AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS? WOULD IT BE IN THE WAY OF THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS? OF COURSE, YOU SAID
YOU SAID THAT IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN BUT IT REALLY PUTS PSYCHOLOGICALLY PRESSURE ON HONG KONG AND IT REALLY INCREASES OUR WORRIES AND SO AS THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS BETTER TO MAKE HONG KONG PEOPLE WORRIED OR DO YOU THINK YOU SHOULD CONVEY HOPE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE THAT THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF SMOOTH TRANSITION?
GOVERNOR:
I DON'T THINK THAT ANSWERING QUESTIONS ON THE DISAGREEMENT THAT WE'VE HAD ABOUT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES OR HERE INCREASES PEOPLE'S WORRIES. I THINK THAT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IN THEIR OWN HOMES AROUND THE TELEVISION SET EVERY EVENING IS TO CONFRONT REALITY, NOT ΤΟ PROVOKE ANXIETY.
I EXPRESSED TO UNITED STATES OFFICIALS MY SINCERE HOPE THAT THE TALKS WHICH HAVE BEGUN, OF WHICH THERE HAVE BEEN TWO ROUNDS SO FAR WITH THE THIRD ROUND COMMENCING NEXT WEEK, WOULD RESOLVE THE DISAGREEMENTS THAT WE'VE HAD ABOUT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT AND DO SO AS RAPIDLY AS IS REASONABLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT PEOPLE WANT THE ISSUE ΤΟ BE HANGING ABOUT INDEFINITELY THOUGH IT'S DIFFICULT TO TACKLE IT SUCCESSFULLY, WE ALL WISH THE NEGOTIATORS THE BEST OF GOOD FORTUNE. I EXPRESSED MY ENTHUSIASM FOR A SATISFACTORY OUTCOME. I DO SO AGAIN TODAY AND I AM SURE THAT IS ONE OF THE MANY ISSUES ON WHICH THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN AND I FIND OURSELVES IN WHOLEHEARTED AGREEMENT.
MS CHRISTINE LOH:
GOVERNOR, IT'S OBVIOUSLY BEEN VERY USEFUL FOR YOU TO GO AND EXPLAIN HONG KONG'S CAUSE TO THE UNITED STATES, BUT SINCE THE ISSUE HAS REALLY TO DO WITH S) NO-AMERICAN RELATIONS, WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE DONE AS FAR AS CHINA IS CONCERNED?
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GOVERNOR:
1 THINK IT'S FOR UNITED STATES OFFICIALS PRINCIPALLY TO EXPRESS TO CHINESE OFFICIALS THE CONCERNS WHICH ARE ENCOURAGING IS PERHAPS THE WRONG VERB PROMPTING A NEW ADMINISTRATION TOWARDS A CHANGE OF POLICY ON MPN. BUT I'M ALSO SURE THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO ADVISE THE HONG KONG MACAU OFFICE ON HONG KONG AFFAIRS WILL THEMSELVES WANT AT SUITABLE MOMENTS TO EXPRESS TO CHINESE OFFICIALS THEIR WORRIES ABOUT THE IMPACT OF NON-RESOLUTION OF THESE ARGUMENTS BETWEEN CHINA AND UNITED STATES ON HONG KONG. I AM SURE THAT THOSE ADVISERS WILL EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS ON THOSE MATTERS AND THEIR HOPE THAT WORRIES ABOUT ISSUES LIKE WEAPONS PROLIFERATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS CAN BE CONSTRUCTIVELY DEALT WITH AND THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BB AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR ADVISERS TO TAKE AND
AM SURE THAT DISCHARGING THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES THEY WILL DO PRECISELY THAT.
/MRS SELINA