N
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1994
STI ON CHINA'S MEN STATUS
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THE FOLLOWING
IS THE SPEECH BY THE SECRETARY FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, MR T H CHAU, IN LEGCO'S MOTION DEBATE ON RENEWAL OF CHINA'S MOST FAVOURED NATION STATUS BY THE US:
MR PRESIDENT,
I AM GRATEFUL TO THE HONOURABLE JAMES TIEN FOR GIVING ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESTATE THE IMPORTANCE TO HONG KONG OF THE RENEWAL OF CHINA'S MFN STATUS IN THE UNITED STATES, AND TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT, FOR THE RECORD, OF THE EFFORTS WHICH BOTH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAVE BEEN MAKING TO LOBBY FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL RENEWAL OF THAT STATUS.
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S UNRESERVED AND UNFAILING SUPPORT OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S POSITION ON MPN, AS WELL AS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS IN LOBBYING THE US ADMINISTRATION ON THIS ISSUE, WERE CLEARLY SPELT OUT IN MY SPEECHES DURING THIS COUNCIL'S PREVIOUS DEBATES ON MFN IN 1992 AND 1993. IN RESPECT OF THIS YEAR'S RENEWAL, THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAVE AGAIN PRESSED THE CASE FOR RENEWAL OF MFN FOR CHINA WITH THE UNITED STATES ADMINISTRATION AT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT LEVELS, INCLUDING BRIEFLY WHEN THE PRIME MINISTER MET PRESIDENT CLINTON LAST WEEK.
MEN
IT
TO
AS FOR THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, WE ARE AGAIN GIVING LOBBYING THE HIGHEST PRIORITY AND ARE DEVOTING MORE RESOURCES TO THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS. IN 1993, PRESIDENT CLINTON SUBJECTED RENEWAL OF CHINA'S MFN STATUS IN 1994 TO CONDITIONS RELATED TO "OVERALL, SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS" IN CERTAIN HUMAN RIGHTS AREAS. THIS PLACES HONG KONG IN A DIFFICULT POSITION IN OUR ADVOCACY OF MFN RENEWAL BECAUSE WHETHER "OVERALL, SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS" HAS BEEN MADE IN TERMS OF PRESIDENT CLINTON'S EXECUTIVE ORDER IS ESSENTIALLY A BILATERAL MATTER BETWEEN THE US AND CHINA. WE ARE SIMPLY NOT IN A POSITION TO DEFEND CHINA'S HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITIONS; NOR ARE WE SO PRESUMPTUOUS AS TO TRY TO DO SO. WHILE WE DO NEED TO MAKE OUR CONCERNS ON MFN HEARD, WE MUST DO SO WITHOUT GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT WE CARE ONLY ABOUT DOLLARS AND CENTS AND DO NOT CARE ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS. SUCH AN IMPRESSION WOULD BE ENTIRELY WRONG. WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL THAT OUR LOBBYING EFFORTS IN ACCOUNT OF AMERICAN SENSITIVITIES ON HUMAN RIGHTS.
FOR THIS REASON, THE US DO TAKE
/ALTHOUGH THE