FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1993
THE SECOND PIECE OF BACKGROUND WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER IS THAT BEFORE THESE TALKS GOT GOING, THE CHINESE INITIALLY INSISTED ON TWO THINGS. FIRST OF ALL, UNDERSTANDABLY, THAT THE DISCUSSIONS SHOULD TAKE PLACE IN CONFIDENCE. SECOND, WHICH WE WEREN'T PREPARED TO ACCEPT AND IT WAS SOMETHING WHICH THE CHINESE EVENTUALLY DROPPED, THEY WANTED, IF YOU RECALLED, THE FACT OF THE TALKS TO BE SECRET, NOT JUST WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE TALKS. WE SAID THAT WE COULDN'T ACCEPT THAT PROPOSAL, WE COULDN'T CONCEAL FROM THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THAT TALKS WERE TAKING PLACE. AND EVENTUALLY I'M PLEASED TO SAY THAT CHINESE DROPPED THAT INSISTENCE.
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NOW WE'RE AT A SITUATION IN WHICH WE ON OUR SIDE ARE PRESSING FOR MORE TALKS AND THE CHINESE ARE, PERHAPS, BEING A LITTLE AMBIVALENT ABOUT THAT AT THE MOMENT. WE WANT MORE TALKS BECAUSE WE WANT AN AGREEMENT. AND IF WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT, WE'LL EXPLAIN THAT AGREEMENT AND WHAT IS LED UP TO IT TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. AND WE DON'T GET AN AGREEMENT ALAS, AND WE WANT AN AGREEMENT, OR IF ALAS, THE CHINESE WALK AWAY FROM THE NEGOTIATING TABLE, THEN AGAIN WE WOULD HAVE то EXPLAIN TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WE DO SO HONESTLY, WE DO SO WITHOUT PARTIAL LEAKING OF BITS OF DISCUSSIONS, WE SET OUT THE WHOLE RECORD. BUT OUR FIRST OBJECTIVE TO TRY TO ENSURE THAT THE TALKS CONTINUE WHILE WE PUT IN PLACE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH ARE NECESSARY IN OUR PARTIAL LEGISLATION. SO OUR POSITION IS THAT WHEN THE TALKS ARE BROUGHT TO A SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION, OR WHEN THEY ARE NOT, WE BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL BE ENTITLED TO HAVE A FULL REPORT ON EXACTLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED.
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QUESTION: CHINA'S SPOKESMAN WU JIANMIN SAID THAT THE TALKS COULDN'T GO ON IF YOU PREFER TO TABLING YOUR PARTIAL BILL. HOW DEFINITE ARE YOU THAT YOU WILL TABLE THE BILL ON WEDNESDAY?
GOVERNOR: I'VE MADE THE POSITION OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR, AND THE FOREIGN SECRETARY HAS MADE THE POSITION OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR. THE CHINESE SIDE KNOW PERFECTLY WELL THAT THERE ARE SOME ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WE NEED TO GET IN PLACE AT AN EARLY STAGE, AND WE NEED THAT IN ORDER TO GIVE OURSELVES MORE TIME FOR DISCUSSING THE OTHER MATTERS. FOR OUR ᏢᎪᎡᎢ . WE WILL ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO TALK. WE SUGGESTED THESE TALKS IN THE FIRST PLACE. IT WAS OUR PROPOSAL, OUR INITIATIVE. WE' 'VE BEEN SENDING OUR OFFICIALS WEEK AFTER WEEK UP TO PEKING TO TAKE PART IN THE TALKS. WE MADE CONDITIONAL CONCESSIONS IN THE TALKS AS AN ACT OF GOOD FAITH, TO TRY TO KEEP THE TALKS GOING AND TO TRY TO BRING THEM TO A SATISFACTORY CONCLUSION. SO AS FAR AS WE ARE CONCERNED, WE WANT TALKS TO GO ON AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THAT WILL BE THE POSITION THE CHINESE SIDE, AND THEY WON'T SIMPLY WALK AWAY FROM THE TABLE.
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TO AMEND ALL DO YOU THINK
QUESTION: MR PATTEN, RITA FAN HAS URGED LEGISLATORS PARTS OF THE PARTIAL BILL THAT CHINA HASN'T AGREED TO. THIS IS
MEDDLING AHEAD OF 1997 BY THE PWC AND ALSO IF LEGISLATORS SHOULD AMEND THE PARTIAL BILL IN THAT FASHION, WILL THE ADMINISTRATION CONTINUE TO SUPPORT IT?
/GOVERNOR: