12
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1993
+
MR SIMON
IP:
GOVERNOR, YOU OF COURSE KNOW THAT THERE WAS A DEBATE IN THIS COUNCIL YESTERDAY ON THE QUESTION OF UNCONDITIONAL RENEWAL OF MFN. MANY OPINIONS WERE EXPRESSED YESTERDAY, ALL OF WHICH WERE VERY VALID AND RESPECTABLE BUT THEY WERE DIFFERENT. SO, CLEARLY A MESSAGE WILL BE SENT TO OUR FRIENDS IN THE U.S. AND TO CHINA AND THEY MAY RECEIVE MIXED MESSAGES IN RELATION TO THAT DEBATE. WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO ABOUT IT, IF ANYTHING?
-
OF THE
GOVERNOR:
WELL, I CAN'T OBLITERATE ONE CONSEQUENCES OF A PLURAL SOCIETY, NAMELY THAT PEOPLE, EVEN LEGISLATORS, DISAGREE FROM TIME TO TIME. AS 1 UNDERSTAND IT BUT I MUST BE CAREFUL NOT TO ATTEMPT TO INTERPRET THE CONTROVERSIES THAT OCCASIONALLY MAKE THIS AN EVEN LIVELIER AND FRIENDLIER AND MORE AMICABLE PLACE TO LIVE THAN IT OTHERWISE WOULD BE AS
UNDERSTAND
J
IT, THE MAIN DISAGREEMENT WAS ABOUT THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE ISSUE OF HUMAN RIGHTS SHOULD FEATURE IN ANY DISCUSSION OF TRADE MATTERS. PERHAPS I AM TELEGRAMING WHAT WAS AT THE HEART OF THE ARGUMENT, IF SO I APOLOGISE TO HONOURABLE MEMBERS BUT THAT IS WHAT IT SEEMED TO A HUMBLE READER.
IT IS
NOT VERY SURPRISING THAT THERE SHOULD BE DIFFERENCES ABOUT THAT; I THINK THERE ARE PROBABLY DIFFERENCES IN THE COMMUNITY. BUT I THINK WHERE THE COMMUNITY AND WHERE THIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IS WHOLLY AT ONE IS IN ITS BELIEF THAT TRADE SHOULD NOT BE POLITICISED, THAT ECONOMICS AND POLITICS SHOULD BE KEPT APART. THERE MAY BE SOME HONOURABLE MEMBERS WHO
THINK THAT IT WOULD BE EASIER TO PUT THAT ARGUMENT IF IT WAS ALWAYS APPARENT THAT THE PRC WISHED TO KEEP ECONOMICS AND TRADE ON THE ONE HAND AND POLITICS ON THE OTHER APART, BUT I THINK THAT MOST OF US BELIEVE THAT IS THE CASE, JUST AS MOST OF US BELIEVE THAT IMPROVED HUMAN RIGHTS EVERYWHERE ARE IMPORTANT.
DR KC LAM: MR PRESIDENT, IN ORDER TO ALLOW THIS COUNCIL TO GAUGE FOR ITSELF THE MISSIONS ACCOMPLISHED IN THE GOVERNOR'S RECENT VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES, WOULD THE GOVERNOR GIVE US AN IDEA ROUGHLY OF WHAT PROPORTION OF THE PERSONALITIES HE CALLED ON THERE WAS REALLY POLITICIANS AND JOURNALISTS? WHAT PROPORTION WAS REALLY ECONOMIC PERSONALITIES AND WHETHER OVERALL THE QUESTIONS HE DREW WERE MORE COMMONLY ON POLITICS OR ON TRADE?
WEAR
THE
THE
CAN
TREASURY BCONOMIC
GOVERNOR:
I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THE DISTINCTION HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN IS MAKING. DOES HE REGARD THE PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES AS A POLITICIAN IN THE ONE CATEGORY OR SOMEBODY WHO AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY ON THE OTHER. I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES PUT HIMSELF IN BOTH CATEGORIES. TO LOOK AT THINGS THE OTHER WAY ROUND, THE SECRETARY AND THE PRESIDENT'S CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISER HATS BUT ALSO HAVE POLITICAL INTERESTS AS WELL, INDEED THE TREASURY SECRETARY WAS UNTIL RECENTLY A MOST DISTINGUISHED SENATOR AND CHAIRMAN OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. SO I DON'T THINK IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE THE SORT OF HARD AND FAST DISTINCTION THAT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER HIMSELF MAKES. BUT THE MAJORITY OF MY CONVERSATIONS AND THE MAJORITY OF MY SPEECHES FEATURED SOLELY ON OR FOCUSSED SOLELY ON TRADE AND ECONOMIC MATTERS.
-
/DR PHILIP