MONDAY, MAY 9, 1994
TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR'S MEDIA SESSION
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BY
THE FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA SESSION
THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, AFTER ATTENDING THE PACIFIC ASIA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION LUNCHEON THIS (MONDAY) AFTERNOON: -
QUESTION: GOVERNOR, DO YOU GET ANY RESPONSE FROM THE CHINESE SIDE ON THE PROPOSALS OF THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE MEETING?
GOVERNOR: NOT YET. I MEAN, NOT AS WHEN I LEFT THE OFFICE AT QUARTER TO ONE.
QUESTION: WILL YOU BE DISAPPOINTED?
GOVERNOR: NO, I HOPE WE'LL GET ONE SOON.
QUESTION: GOVERNOR, WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE POLL IN THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST THAT SHOWS.
LESS CONFIDENCE AS A RESULT OF LU PING'S VISIT?
GOVERNOR: I THINK IT WOULD BE A PITTY, IF THAT WERE THE CASE, BUT I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THE MORE DIRECTOR LU IS ABLE TO VISIT HONG KONG, THE MORE PEOPLE WILL FEEL REASSURED ABOUT THE FUTURE. I THINK THAT THE CHALLENGE TO ALL OF US AND I AM SURE DIRECTOR LU MUST HAVE FELT IT AS KEENLY LAST WEEK AS I HAVE IS THAT WE SHOULD DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMITMENT TO CO-OPERATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I THINK THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WANT TO SEE AND I THINK THEY'VE GOT A RIGHT TO WANT то SEE THAT. SO, I HOPE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMITMENT TO CO-OPERATION IN THE FUTURE, IT WILL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE ΤΟ HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE RATHER THAN LESS BECAUSE HONG KONG HAS ALWAYS BEEN NOTED, I THINK, FOR ITS EBULLIENCE, FOR ITS VIGOUR AND FOR ITS SELF-CONFIDENCE.
QUESTION: HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DEMONSTRATE THAT CO-OPERATION? HOW CAN YOU DEMONSTRATE THAT CO-OPERATION?
GOVERNOR: I THINK THAT WE ARE DEMONSTRATING IT EXTREMELY POSITIVELY. WE
WANT TO HAVE A DIALOGUE, WE WANT TO HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH DIRECTOR LU. WE WANT TO SEE MORE WORK FLOWING UP AND DOWN THE CHANNELS OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP, THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE, THE LAND COMMISSION AND SO ON.
THERE ARE SOME GOOD SIGNS. I THINK THAT THE MEETING OF THE LAND COMMISSION RECENTLY WAS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT AND SHOWED COMMITMENT ON ALL SIDES TO THE WELL-BEING OF HONG KONG, I THINK WE'D LIKE TO SEE, ALL OF US, THE NEXT JOINT LIAISON GROUP MEETING AS SUCCESSFUL AND I KNOW THAT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE DAY WOULD PRAY FOR THE DAY WHEN WE DIDN'T HAVE WRANGLE ABOUT AIRPORT FINANCING.
WAS ENCOURAGED BY WHAT THE DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAO AFFAIRS OFFICE HAS TO SAY ABOUT THAT.
/QUESTION: