FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1994
I
MY
IS
CHINESE AND [ ΤΟ THE
OF
SHALL BE SEEING, AS THE GOVERNOR SAID, COUNTERPART, MR QIAN QICHEN, IN NEW YORK THE WEEK AFTER NEXT. SEE THAT MEETING AS LINKED, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, A PRELUDE IMPORTANT SPEECH WHICH THE GOVERNOR WILL MAKE ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT HONG KONG'S PROGRAMME HERE ON OCTOBER 5. 1 WILL PUT TO MR QIAN QICHEN AGAIN OUR CONVICTION AND OUR COMMITMENT. WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT MAKING WE PROGRESS IN COOPERATION WITH CHINA FOR THE BENEFIT OF HONG KONG. ARE
COMMITMENT SERIOUS PARTLY BECAUSE THERE IS A COMMITMENT, A LEGAL
DECLARATION IN THE JOINT
AND PARTLY BECAUSE THERE
A SHARED INTEREST, BRITAIN'S INTEREST, CHINA'S INTEREST, HONG KONG'S INTEREST, NEEDS THAT THIS CO-OPERATION SHOULD SUCCEED. IN ORDER TO SUCCEED IT BOTH ΤΟ DEEPEN AND TO WIDEN.
AND GO IT NEEDS TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE DEEPER IN THE AREAS WHICH ARE ALREADY BEING DISCUSSED, TO CONCLUDE AIRPORT AGREEMENT FOR EXAMPLE, TO CONCLUDE AN AIRPORT AGREEMENT. IT NEEDS TO GO WIDER INTO AREAS WHERE THERE IS NOT AT THE MOMENT.
NEEDS то OPERATION
DEEPEN AND WIDEN AS FORESEEN IN THE JOINT AND DECLARATION.
1 AND MY COLLEAGUES, ALASTAIR GOODLAD,
PRIME MINISTER, WE WILL WORK WITH THE GOVERNOR DURING THIS PERIOD, DURING THE REMAINING PERIOD OF BRITISH RULE.
THE
UNCERTAINTIES
AN
BUT CO-
AND
THERE
OF COURSE THERE ARE UNCERTAINTIES AND DIFFICULTIES, LADIES GENTLEMEN. WHO ON EARTH, WHO ON EARTH IN HONG KONG EVER SUPPOSED THAT THIS JOB WOULD BE CARRIED THROUGH WITHOUT
AND DIFFICULTIES. TWO SYSTEMS IN ONE COUNTRY IS AN AMAZINGLY DIFFICULT OBJECTIVE TO REALISE BUT ALSO AN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY ONE. BUT WHAT HAS CHANGED IN HONG KONG IN THE PERIOD 1'VE BEEN FOREIGN SECRETARY HAS
THE BEEN THAT
THEY DO, UNCERTAINTIES WHICH REMAIN, OF COURSE
THE WHICH EXIST, NO LONGER DOMINATE THE LIFE OF HONG KONG.. DOUBTS
MUCH GREATER STABILITY OF OPINION AND THERE IS MUCH MUCH LESS IS A
THAN THERE USED TO BE FEVERISHNESS
THIS WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE.
IS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME, I MAY SAY, IT IS SIMPLY THE CONFIDENCE PEOPLE HERE HAVE IN THE SUCCESS OF HONG KONG AND INDEED IN CONTRIBUTION WHICH HONG KONG IS ALREADY MAKING DAY BY DAY TO THE OF CHINA AND IN PARTICULAR TO THE SOUTHERN
THE PART. AUTONOMOUS REGION WILL COMPRISE 23% ON PRESENT FIGURES, 23% OF THE GNP OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.
INTEREST,
WHICH THE LIFE SPECIAL
WORK
THEM.
NOT
SO THAT IS WHAT I MEAN BY A SHARED INTEREST. IT IS IN CHINA'S
BRITAIN'S INTEREST, IN HONG KONG'S INTEREST THAT THIS SHOULD SUCCEED. PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE ARE NEEDED, BOTH OF
ENOUGH IF YOU ARE INACTIVE. PERSEVERANCE IS PATIENCE IS NOT ENOUGH IS YOU ARE SIMPLY HOPING FOR IMMEDIATE RESULTS TOMORROW. PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE ON ALL SIDES WILL SEE US, I BELIEVE, ΤΟ A SUCCESSFUL END OF THIS WORK. SO I GO AWAY NOT DEPRESSED DISCOURAGED BUT REINFORCED IN THE BELIEF THAT WE IN LONDON, LIKE IN HONG KONG, HAVE TO ACCELERATE OUR COMMITMENT TO THIS TASK AND IT TO ITS SUCCESS.
OR
YOU GET
AS
GOVERNOR: QUESTIONS? CAN YOU GIVE YOUR NAME AND THE MEDIA ORGANISATION THAT YOU COME FROM AND WE'LL GET IN AS MANY QUESTIONS WE CAN.
QUESTION (EASTERN EXPRESS): HOW USEFUL DO YOU THINK THE MEETING YOU JUST HAD WITH THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP? DID YOU PUT ANY
ENCOURAGEMENT
TO THEM?
/FOREIGN SECRETARY: