LA
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1994
QUESTION : MR CUNNINGHAM, MR LU PING STRESSED THAT IF CHINA WILL BACKDOWN IN ITS DISPUTE. WILL YOUR PARTY RECONSIDER ITS POSITION ?
DR CUNNINGHAM
➡
: NO, OUR POSITION IS QUITE CLEAR. I'VE HAD THAT PROPOSALS PUT TO ME IN LONDON SOME TIME AGO THAT WE SHOULD WITHDRAW OUR SUPPORT FOR THE POSITION TAKEN UP BY THE GOVERNOR AND BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. WE REMAIN COMMITTED AS A DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST PARTY TO PEOPLE'S DEMORATIC AND HUMAN RIGHTS. ALTHOUGH, OF COURSE, WE WANT AS ANYONE SENSIBLY WOULD TO HAVE GOOD AND FRIENDLY RELATION WITH THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE WOULD AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THEY SAY AND IT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T HAVE SENIBLE RELATION WITH THEM JUST BECAUSE WE DISAGREE WITH THEM ON THIS PARTICULAR POINT.
QUESTION : DO YOU THINK THAT BECAUSE OF THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS BREAK DOWN, SINO-BRITISH RELATIONSHIP HAS BEEN WORSENED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND THE LABOUR PARTY IS GOING TO IMPROVE
CONSERVATIVE
DR CUNNINGHAM : NO GOVERNMENT WANTS TO HAVE A FAILURE IN ANY TALKS AS HAVING WITH THE GOVERNMENT ON MATTERS OF MUTUAL INTEREST. THAT VIEW WOULD BE COMMON, I WOULD PRESUME, TO ALL POLITICAL PARTIES AND ALL GOVERNMENTS IN ALL COUNTRIES. BUT THESE THINGS DO HAPPEN FROM TIME TO TIME AS WE KNOW. I HAVE DISPUTES WITH MY SOCIALIST COLLEAGUES IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY FROM TIME TO TIME. BUT WE DON'T STOP TALKING TO THEM. WE GO ON TALKING AND NEGOTIATING ABOUT MATTERS OF MUTUAL INTEREST.
I THINK IT'S IN EVERYONE'S INTEREST, IN THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC, IN THE INTEREST OF THE MEMBERS OF LEGCO AND OF COURSE THE GOVERNOR, AND MOST OF ALL, IN THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THAT THERE IS A SENSIBLE OUTCOME TO THESE
PROPOSALS.
GOVERNOR : CAN I JUST ADD ONE OTHER POINT ON ANOTHER SUBJECT BECAUSE IT'S WORTH CLARIFYING AS WELL. DIRECTOR LU PING MADE SOME REMARKS YESTERDA ? ABOUT PASSPORTS AND THE ISSUE OF PASSPORTS BY THE SAR GOVERNMENT. I JUST WANT FOR THE RECORD TO MAKE THIS CLEAR. LAST JULY, WE PUT PROPOSALS TO THE CHINESE SIDE ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN HELP ON THIS ISSUE, COVERING QUESTIONS LIKE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, VALIDATING PASSPORTS AND SO ON. WE REITERATED THOSE PROPOSALS IN SEPTEMBER AND WE FURTHER SUGGESTED IN SEPTEMBER AND DECEMBER VISITS BY THE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION TO PEKING AT ANY TIME THAT WAS CONVENIENT TO CHINESE OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS THESE MATTERS. WE'VE STILL LEFT THAT AS A PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE THAT THE DIRECTOR OF IMMIGRATION SHOULD GO TO PEKING TO ASSIST CHINESE OFFICIALS. IN VIEW OF WHAT'S BEING SAID ABOUT PEOPLE GOING TO PEKING, I'D JUST LIKE TO MAKE THAT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR AND SAY THAT ALAS, WE HAVEN'T HAD A POSITIVE RESPONSE YET. BUT I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT DIRECTOR LU PING'S REMARKS YESTERDAY COMING AS THEY DO AFTER WHAT WE'VE BEEN SAYING FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS REPRESENT A CHINESE RESPONSE WHICH WILL BE ABLE TO FOLLOW UP IT IS THE SORT OF AREA WHERE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO COOPERATE INTERESTS OF PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ON AN ISSUE ABOUT FEELS VERY STRONGLY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED.
WHICH
BECAUSE IN THE EVERYBODY
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