46
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1993
GOVERNOR:
WELL, ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT AMBASSADOR GUO, THE DISTINGUISHED DIPLOMAT THAT HE IS, HAS ALREADY CRITICISED THE PROPOSAL TO PUT HK$7 BILLION INTO PARTIAL FUNDING OF CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS THAT'S REALLY QUICK OF THE MARK. I MEAN WHAT'S HE PROPOSING, SEVENTEEN, 70, 700. 7 TRILLION?
QUESTION : BUT THIS ISSUE IS ACROSS, I MEAN, '97. HAVE YOU DISCUSSED THIS WITH THE CHINESE?
WE
GOVERNOR: YES IT'S BEEN DISCUSSED IN THE JLG. WE MADE IT CLEAR THAT WOULD WANT TO CONSIDER IT AND COME BACK POSITIVELY TO OUR CHINESE INTERLOCUTORS ON THE SUBJECT. HERE WE ARE, WE'RE COMING BACK NOT ONLY POSITIVELY BUT WITH SEVEN BILLION GOOD, HONEST HONG KONG DOLLARS IN OUR BAG. SO, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT CHINESE HATS SHOULD BE IN THE AIR BUT WE WILL OF COURSE WANT TO DISCUSS THE DETAIL WITH CHINESE COLLEAGUES IN THE JLG. BUT I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THEY WOULD REGARD THIS AS A VERY POSITIVE MOVE.
I HAVE TO SAY THAT THERE IS, OF COURSE, AS I SAID IN MY SPEECH, SOMETHING WHICH IS A LITTLE STRANGE ABOUT THE ARGUMENT. THE JOINT DECLARATION, THE BASIC LAW AS WELL AS ALL THE EXISTING LEGISLATION ARE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT PENSIONS ARE A STATUTORY RIGHT, CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS A STATUTORY RIGHT AND A STATUTORY CHARGE, THAT THEY'LL GO ON BEING PAID AFTER 1997. IT HAS THEREFORE SLIGHTLY SURPRISED ME THAT CHINESE OFFICIALS ARE SO CONCERNED THAT DESPITE THOSE UNDERTAKINGS, MONEY SHOULD BE PUT ON THE TABLE JUST IN CASE THOSE UNDERTAKINGS ARE BROKEN. BRITAIN WON'T BE HERE AFTER 1997, SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE BREAKING THE UNDERTAKINGS BUT SINCE WE'VE HAPPILY FOUND OURSELVES IN THE POSITION IN WHICH WE HAVE CAPACIOUS RESERVES, I'M PERFECTLY CONTENT TO SEE A PART OF THOSE RESERVES LOCKED UP IN PARTIAL FUNDING OF CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS, I SUSPECT THAT THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE SAR AFTER 1997 WON'T WANT TOO MUCH OF HER OR HIS RESERVES LOCKED UP IN CONDITIONAL COMPARTMENTS LIKE THAT.
DO YOU THINK THE CHINESE PROPOSALS AT STARTED OR
QUESTION : STRICTLY OFF THE RECORD IN THIS CLOSED ROOM, YOU COULD TELL US WITHOUT THE DETAILS, IS IT TRUE THAT HAVE MADE NO CONCESSIONS, NO CHANGES IN THEIR ORIGINAL ALL? IS THEIR ARGUMENT EXACTLY AS IT WAS WHEN THIS ALL HAVE THEY MADE SOME CHANGES OF SOME KIND, EVEN IF WE'RE SUPPOSED TO ASK THEM WHAT THE DETAILS ARE?
GOVERNOR: I THINK THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO ASK CHINESE OFFICIALS WHAT THEIR CONSTRUCTIVE PROPOSALS HAVE BEEN DURING THESE TALKS. I'M NOT SURE HOW LONG THE ANSWER WILL BE BUT I THINK YOU'LL HAVE TO PUT THE QUESTION TO THEM.
AND
QUESTION: IF THE CHINESE COME TO YOU WITH A LIST OF INDIVIDUALS SAY WE MIGHT BE WILLING TO DISCUSS ARRANGEMENTS BUT ONLY ON THE CONDITION THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS CANNOT SERVE PAST 1997, WOULD YOU CONSIDER THAT A NEGOTIABLE ITEM? POINT NUMBER ONE, AND SECONDLY, ASSUMING THERE IS NO AGREEMENT, WILL YOU BRING FORWARD TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL YOUR ORIGINAL PROPOSALS OR THE PROPOSALS HAVE MODIFIED THEM IN TALKS WITH THE CHINESE?
AS YOU
/GOVERNOR: ON