SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1994
GOVERNOR RETURNS FROM AUSTRALIA
* * * *
GOVERNOR HIS RETURN
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA SESSION BY THE THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN AT THE KAI TAK AIRPORT ON FROM AUSTRALIA TODAY (SATURDAY):-
OR
VERY THE
GOVERNOR: I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A VERY HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR. I AM PLEASED TO BE HOME AFTER AN EXTREMELY GOOD VISIT TO AUSTRALIA AT INVITATION, AS YOU KNOW, OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT. I HAD VERY GOOD SENATOR MEETINGS WITH PRIME MINISTER KEATING, WITH FOREIGN MINISTER,
OF THE EVANS, WITH OPPOSITION LEADERS, WITH MEMBERS OF BOTH HOUSES
SEMINARS AT LEGISLATURE AND WITH STATE LEADERS AS WELL. I HAD SOME
THE LAST ONE UNIVERSITIES AND I ADDRESSED FOUR VERY LARGE MEETINGS,
IN YESTERDAY, MOSTLY OF BUSINESS GROUPS AND THOSE WHO WERE INTERESTED
HEALTHY TRADE TAKING A PART IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR STRONG AND
WHICH RELATIONSHIP WITH AUSTRALIA. I ALSO VISITED A NUMBER OF FIRMS ARE EITHER ALREADY BASED HERE IN HONG KONG AND REGARDING HONG KONG AS
OR FIRMS WHICH ARE A VERY
JUMPING OFF POINT FOR THE REGION GOOD
ENCOURAGE THINKING OF COMING HERE AND IT WAS, OBVIOUSLY, MY JOB TO
WAS ENCOURAGED BY THE THEM ΤΟ DO SO. BEFORE I LEFT HONG KONG, I
WHICH CHAMBER
IS OF COMMERCE
THE SECOND LARGEST AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER IN HONG KONG, TO TELL AUSTRALIAN FIRMS THAT THEY TO SHOULD FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER AND COME
THAT THERE ARE HONG KONG AND SEE FOR THEMSELVES THE OPPORTUNITIES
IN INTEREST HERE.
AUSTRALIA A GREAT DEAL OF KNOW THAT THERE IS I ABOUT HONG KONG AND THAT WAS CERTAINLY EXPRESSED DURING MY VISIT. I ALSO WANTED TO REASSURE FIRMS WHO ALREADY HAVE A FOOT IN HONG THAT WE ARE GOING TO HOLD FAST TO ALL THOSE INGREDIENTS THAT'VE HONG KONG SO SUCCESSFUL. I WANTED TO ASSURE THEM THAT WE'LL BE WORKING WELL-MANAGED ECONOMY, FLAT OUT TO ENSURE THAT HONG KONG STILL HAS A
HELPED ΤΟ THE RULE OF LAW AND ALL THE FREEDOMS AND VALUES THAT HAVE
TO GIVE THOSE MAKE IT 80 SUCCESSFUL. SO, I WAS PLEASED TO BE ABLE
THAT'S A GREAT DEAL REASSURANCES TO THE BUSINESS LEADERS THAT I MET.
A GREAT OF INTEREST IN AUSTRALIA ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN HONG KONG, DEAL OF FRIENDSHIP AND UNDERSTANDING FOR OUR POSITION AND I KNOW BEFORE AND AFTER 1997, AUSTRALIA IS GOING TO BE ONE OF OUR CLOSEST FRIENDS NOT ONLY IN THE REGION BUT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
BUT
KONG
MADE
THAT
BEST AND
QUESTION: MR PATTEN, WHEN DO WE SEE THE CONTENTS OF THE 17 ROUNDS OF TALKS. PUBLIC?
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/GOVERNOR: