TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1994
1
GOVERNOR RETURNS FROM LONDON
GOVERNOR,
FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE
THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA ON HIS RETURN FROM LONDON TODAY (TUESDAY):
GOVERNOR # I AM DELIGHTED TO BE BACK IN HONG KONG, THOUGH I REALISE IT'S BEEN IN VERY GOOD, VERY CAPABLE HANDS WHILE I'VE BEEN AWAY. I HAD, I THINK, A VERY SUCCESSFUL VISIT TO LONDON, THE MAIN PURPOSE WAS ΤΟ
GIVE EVIDENCE TO THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE. WE'RE ALL VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO THEIR REPORT WHICH WILL FOCUS ON HONG KONG ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA. THEIR LAST REPORT THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO WAS VERY HELPFUL AND SUPPORTIVE OF HONG KONG AND I AM SURE THAT THEIR NEXT REPORT WILL BE EQUALLY
I THINK
SEE
THERE'S ONLY ONE OTHER WITNESS WHO HAS YET TO GIVE EVIDENCE TO THE SELECT COMMITTEE, THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, MR HURD AND THEN THEY'LL BE WRITING THEIR REPORT. I ALSO HAD A NUMBER OF VERY USEFUL MEETINGS, THE PRIME MINISTER, THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, THE HOME SECRETARY AND THE MEETING OF THE CABINET COMMITTEE WHICH HAS PARTICULAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR HONG KONG. WE MET YESTERDAY. WE HAD AN EXTREMELY GOOD MEETING. WE AGREED ON THE WAY FORWARD. ONCE WE'VE GOT THE PRESENT LEGISLATION SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED AND WHILE WE WOULD STILL LIKE OF COURSE TO CHINA RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE ON POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT, THAT DOESN'T PROVE POSSIBLE THEN WE'RE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE AHEAD AND THE SORT OF OPTIONS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO CONSIDER AND LEGISLATION THAT WE WANT TO PRESENT TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. AS I SAID IN LONDON YESTERDAY BEFORE WE TAKE THAT FINAL DECISION, I WON'T NEED TO GO BACK TO LONDON BECAUSE WE'RE PRETTY CLEAR OF THE WAY FORWARD. SO HAS THERE ANY QUESTION?
IF
WAY
THE
TO
THE
YOU
QUESTION
YOU SAID THAT YOU HOPED THAT CHINA WOULD RETURN NEGOTIATING TABLE BUT THE CHINESE HAVE ALREADY SAID THAT UNLESS WITHDRAW THE FIRST PART OF THE PROPOSAL PUTTING FORWARD TO LEGCO, THEY WON'T RETURN TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE. SO WHAT WILL YOU DO?
J
GOVERNOR : THAT'S A QUESTION WHICH I SHOULD THINK I HAVE BEEN ASKED 50 TIMES IF I'VE BEEN ASKED ONCE. SINCE YOU ALL KNOW THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION WHICH HAS BEEN ASKED SO OFTEN, I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU VERY BRIEFLY. THE CHINESE SIDE, LIKE THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, KNOW THE DIFFICULTIES THAT WE HAVE WITH THE CALENDAR. THEY KNOW THAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE LEGISLATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1994 AND 95 ELECTIONS. THE FIRST OF THE THREE TIERS OF ELECTIONS IS ONLY NOW SEVEN OR BIGHT MONTHS AWAY. SO WE ARE CUTTING THINGS FINE AS IT IS. WE PUT FORWARD THIS LEGISLATION ON ISSUES WHICH SHOULD BE REGARDED AS NON-CONTROVERSIAL AND I THINK HAVE BEEN REGARDED IN THE WITH AS NON-CONTROVERSIAL IN ORDER TO GIVE US MORE TIME TO DEAL PAST THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES. THAT IS OUR POSITION, WAS OUR POSITION, WILL BE OUR POSITION AND IF YOU ASK ME AGAIN SAME QUESTION AS COURTEOUSLY NEXT WEEK AS YOU DID THIS EVENING, YOU'LL GET THE SAME ANSWER.
QUESTION : DO YOU MEAN THAT YOUR STEP BY STEP APPROACH OF TABLING THE BILL IS TRY TO WAITING FOR THE FORMAL DECLARATION OF THE CHINESE SIDE'S REFUSAL TO GO BACK TO THE NEGOTIATION TABLE ?
/GOVERNOR
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