THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1993
FREEDOM
GOVERNOR: WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN HONG KONG AND WE HAVE
IS OF SPEECH IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND SIR PERCY
EXERCISING HIS FREEDOM OF SPEECH SAYING THINGS WHICH, I THINK, THE WHOLE COMMUNITY'
THE SAME IN HONG KONG KNOW HE'S BEEN SAYING FOR MANY MANY YEARS. AT
OF HONG TIME, WHAT ARE OTHER PEOPLE SAYING. WELL, WE KNOW THE VOICE
THE FOREIGN KONG AND WE KNOW THE VOICE OF BRITISH PARLIAMENT. WHEN SECRETARY MADE THE STATEMENT AT THE OTHER DAY IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,
SINGLE MEMBER EVERY
WHO SPOKE FROM RIGHT
POLITICAL ACROSS THE SPECTRUM, EVERY SINGLE ELECTED MEMBER, NOT RETIRED OFFICIAL, WHO SPOKE THAT FROM RIGHT ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM, SUPPORTED THE APPROACH WE'VE BEEN TAKING. AND I THINK THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. BUT AS FAR AS MY SPEECHES ARE CONCERNED, I AM GOING TO EXERCISE MY FREEDOM OF SPEECH TO GO ON SPEAKING UP FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND I'LL BE GIVING
WE
SELECT COMMITTEK EVIDENCE.
AGREED THIS WHEN THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS KONG A FEW WEEKS AGO. I'LL BE GIVING EVIDENCE TO VISITED HONG FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE AND SO WILL THE FOREIGN SECRETARY LATE JANUARY.
THE
IN
QUESTION: DO YOU THINK HIS COMMENT IS JUSTISFIED?
DON'T
IN A
GOVERNOR: I DON'T THINK I WANT TO SAY ANYTHING MORE.
QUESTION: DO YOU THINK SECRET DIPLOMACY IS STILL ACCEPTABLE NOWADAYS?
I GOVERNOR:
THINK PEOPLE KNOW MY APPROACH TO SECRET DEALS. I THINK THAT YOU CAN TREAT A COMMUNITY LIKE HONG KONG IN A WHOLE CORNER WAY. I THINK YOU HAVE TO TRUST PEOPLE. I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE ONE OF CONFIDENCE IN PEOPLE. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED,
TREAT CAN'T
THE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD. YOU
THEY PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AS THOUGH THEY WERE IRRESPONSIBLE CHILDREN.
PEOPLE OF ARE VERY RESPONSIBLE. THEY ARE VERY SUCCESSFUL. WHAT THE HONG KONG WANT IS TO BE TRUSTED AND THAT'S WHAT I INTEND TO DO. THERE
BEEN ONE THING THAT I CAN ADD. IS
THERE'VE
REPORTS PERHAPS
THIS
MORNING OF
PREMIER AND FOREIGN SOME REMARKS THAT THE CHINESE VICE MINISTER, THE VERY DISTINGUISHED MR QIAN QICHEN, MADE THIS MORNING. I SAID HAVE ONLY INCOMPLETE REPORTS AND THERE MAY BE SOMETHINGS THAT HE WHICH I WANT TO COMMENT ON LATER ON IN THE WEEK. BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT SMOOTH MR QIAN QICHEN SAID THAT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PRC WERE FOR A TRANSITION AND A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY. AND I WANT TO SAY ARE ENTIRELY THOSE'RE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE CHINESE SIDE, THEY
SHARED BY SHARED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, AND THEY ARE ENTIRELY THE
POSSIBLE SIDE AS WELL. WE WANT TO HAVE AS SMOOTHEST BRITISH TRANSITION, WE WANT
TRANSFER OF TO HAVE AS SMOOTHEST AS POSSIBLE
WR SOVEREIGNTY, ABOUT WHICH THERE IS NO ARGUMENT WHATSOEVER IN 1997.
THAT THE ALSO WANT TO HAVE THE SMOOTHEST POSSIBLE WAY OF ENSURING JOINT DECLARATION, THAT REMARKABLE TREATY BETWEEN BRITAIN AND
THE ΤΟ
LETTER AND IN THE SPIRIT IN WHICH IS IMPLEMENTED WRITTEN. SO THOSE ARE THINGS ON WHICH I HOPE WE CAN AGREE AND ON WHICH IF WE CAN COOPERATE. MAY I JUST ADD THIS, IT WOULD BE VEY SURPRISING
DIFFICULT WE ARE ABLE TO AGREE ON EVERYTHING DURING THIS UNIQUELY PERIOD. BUT I HOPE THAT, EVEN THOUGH WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO AGREE EVERYTHING, THAT WON'T MEAN THAT WE DISAGREE ON EVERYTHING. THERE'S PLENTY ON WHICH WE CAN AGREE, PLENTY ON WHICH WE MUST COOPERATE IN THE OF HONG INTERESTS OF THE LIVELIHOOD AND THE STABILITY OF THE PEOPLE
SPIRIT. KONG. IT'S OUR INTENTION TO GO ON WORKING IN THAT COOPERATIVE ONE MORE QUESTION.
AS
IF SO
CHINA, IT WAS
ON
/QUESTION: