FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 1994
DURING MY VISIT, OF COURSE, I SHALL ALSO BE LOBBYING FOR THE UNCONDITIONAL EXTENSION OF MFN STATUS FOR CHINA. I WANT TO EXPLAIN VERY CLEARLY THAT ANY THREATENED WITHDRAWAL OF MEN STATUS FOR CHINA WILL DEAL AN ECONOMIC BODY BLOW TO HONG KONG AT THE TIME WHEN WE CAN LEAST AFFORD IT, THAT IS, ABOUT SLIGHTLY OVER THREE YEARS FROM 1997. THERE WILL BE ENOUGH UNCERTAINTIES ON THE HORIZON AND WE FEEL THAT ΤΟ HAVE TO ALSO FACE ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTIES, THE POSSIBLE WITHDRAWAL MFN IS SOMETHING THAT WE DESPERATELY WISH TO AVOID. WE HAVE DONE SOME LATEST ASSESSMENT OF THE HARM TO OUR ECONOMY THAT THIS MIGHT DO AND OUR ASSESSMENTS INDICATE THAT IF MFN WAS WITHDRAWN, THEN OUR ECONOMIC GROWTH WOULD BE HALVED AND OUR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE WOULD BE TREBLE. I'LL ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS. BEFORE I DO SO, PERHAPS I CAN SAY THE SAME IN CHINESE.
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QUESTION: MRS CHAN, HOW WOULD YOU COUNTER QUESTIONS THAT YOU WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY HEAR FROM SOME US CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS THAT IT IS VERY HARD TO RENEW CHINESE MFN WHILE CHINA CHOOSE TO BE GOING ON A HARD-LINE SWING, CRACKING DOWN ON DISSIDENTS AND THE XI YANG CASE?
CS:
OUR VIEW HAS CONSISTENTLY BEEN THAT WHILST ON THE SAME HAND, WE ARE CLEARLY VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS. INDEED, I WOULD GO AS FAR AS TO SAY THAT THERE ARE PROBABLY NO PEOPLE ANYWHERE ON THIS EARTH WHO ARE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS THAN PEOPLE IN HONG KONG, PARTICULARLY WITH THE REVERSION OF SOVEREIGNTY TO CHINA IN ABOUT THREE YEARS TIME. BUT, WE ALSO FEEL THAT USING TRADE SANCTIONS IS NOT THE RIGHT WAY NOR IS IT AN EFFECTIVE WAY OF ENSURING THAT THERE IS IMPROVEMENT IN HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITION IN CHINA. OUR VIEW IS THAT THE WAY TO ACHIEVE THIS OBJECTIVE IS TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE THE CHINESE CONTINUE TO TRADE WITH THEM BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT IN THE WAKE ECONOMIC PROGRESS, THERE WILL BE, IN FACT, POLITICAL PROGRESS PEOPLE WOULD HAVE MORE CHOICES.
ΤΟ
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AND
QUESTION: MRS CHAN, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE ADVANTAGE OF YOU BEING A CHINESE TO ADVOCATE
AS A SALESMAN FOR THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT?
CS: I HAVE STATED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THAT I INTEND TO STAY HERE IN HONG KONG BOTH NOW AND AFTER 1997. WE ALL WISH TO CONTINUE TO SEE HONG KONG PROSPER AND IF WE PROSPER, CHINA WILL PROSPER. AND, OBVIOUSLY, IN TERMS OF STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, EXTENSION OF MEN WILL BE THE BEST WAY OF ENSURING THAT CHINA MAKES PROGRESS BOTH IN ITS ECONOMY AND ON THE POLITICAL FRONT AND THAT HONG KONG CAN CONTINUE TO GROW AND ITS PEOPLE CAN CONTINUE TO ENJOY A HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING.
QUESTION: MRS CHAN,
TO THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT AND AMERICAN POLITICIANS, THIS IS NOT JUST ANOTHER TRADE POINT. IT'S A MORAL POINT. AMAZINGLY, HOW CAN WE DO WHAT YOU ARE ASKING US TO DO WITHOUT APPEARING THAT WE'RE COMPROMISING A VERY IMPORTANT MORAL POINT?
CS: I DO NOT DENY THAT THERE IS A MORAL POINT INVOLVED HERE. BUT I WISH TO STRESS AGAIN THAT THE HUMAN RIGHTS FRONT, IMPROVEMENT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS FRONT CAN BE ACHIEVED BY WAYS OTHER THAN ECONOMIC AND TRADE SANCTIONS, WE KNOW FOR A FACT THAT SANCTIONS ELSEWHERE DO NOT DO THE TRICK. THEY HAVE QUITE THE OPPOSITE EFFECT AND IF WE ALL WISH ΤΟ SEE IMPROVEMENT IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITION IN CHINA, THEN THE WAY TO ACHIEVE THIS IS TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE THE CHINESE, CONTINUE TO HAVE A WAY OF INFLUENCING CHINESE AND CONTINUE TO GIVE THE PEOPLE IN CHINA MORE CHOICES. WE SEE FOR OURSELVES, FOR EXAMPLE, IN QUANGDONG, BECAUSE THEY ENJOY ECONOMIC GROWTH, THEY NOW HAVE MORE CHOICES. ARE FAR FREER, I WOULD SAY, THAN PEOPLE ELSEWHERE IN THE INTERIOR CHINA. SO, OBVIOUSLY, THAT IS THE WAY TO GO.
THAT THEY
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