6
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1994
FOREIGN SECRETARY: I'M NOT QUITE SURE IN WHICH DIRECTION YOU'RE PROPOSING WE SHOULD CHANGE TACK, BUT THEN YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
NO,
I
FEW YEARS AGO BEING HELD.
DON'T AGREE WITH THAT. THE AIRPORT IS BEING BUILT. A IT WAS A DREAM AND THEN A BLUEPRINT. THE ELECTIONS ARE OF COURSE, NOT BY AGREEMENT AND WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE CHINESE, WHAT EXACT ACTION THEY WILL TAKE AFTER '97. BUT THERE YOU HAVE FIVE CANDIDATES IN SHA TIN AND OBVIOUSLY AN UNPRECEDENTED DEGREE OF DEMOCRATIC INTEREST. THIS IS GOOD. OTHER MATTERS HAVE BEEN SETTLED BY AGREEMENT AND I'VE JUST GIVEN YOU A RATHER IMPORTANT EXAMPLE. I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD SEEK AGREEMENT AND WE ARE DETERMINED TO DO SO. I DON'T SEE A SATISFACTORY ALTERNATIVE. THERE ARE CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF HONG KONG WHICH NEED TO BE PRESERVED. AN OBJECTIVE CIVIL SERVICE USING ITS PROFESSIONAL SKILLS TO PROVIDE A VERY HIGH STANDARD OF ADMINISTRATION, IS ONE SUCH ASSET, PART OF THE CHARACTER OF HONG KONG WHICH NEEDS TO BE PRESERVED. THAT AS AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE. WE DO NEED TO SEEK AGREEMENT WITH CHINA ON THE FUTURE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE. THIS IS PARTLY A MATTER OF INDIVIDUAL CAREERS AND PARTLY A MATTER OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES. THAT IS AN EXAMPLE, I THINK A GOOD EXAMPLE, WHERE IT MUST BE RIGHT TO SEEK SUCH AGREEMENT. WHERE TO DESPAIR OF AGREEMENT IS TO OPT FOR SOMETHING WHICH IS VERY MUCH AN INFERIOR CHOICE.
I USE
QUESTION: THE CHINESE SIDE SAYS THAT THEY ALWAYS WANT THE BRITISH SIDE TO FULLY COOPERATE WITH THEM AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT THEY MEAN IS THAT THEY WANT THE BRITISH SIDE TO DISCUSS ALL THE IMPORTANT ISSUES OF HONG KONG WITH THEM, INCLUDING MAYBE SOME MAJOR CHANGES OF THE LAW, AMENDMENTS OF THE LAW AND THAT WOULD MEAN THAT IT WOULD SOMEWHAT INTERFERE WITH HONG KONG'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS. THE SECOND THING THEY WANT, WHAT THEY MEAN IS THAT THEY WANT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO HAVE FORMAL CONTACTS WITH THE PWC TO ASSIST IN THE TRANSITIONAL MATTERS. SO DOES THE BRITISH SIDE WANT TO CO-OPERATE WITH THIS?
FOREIGN SECRETARY: WELL, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING WHICH I'D BETTER LEAVE TO THE GOVERNOR TO COMMENT ON AND HE MAY NOT WANT TO DO SO TODAY BUT ON A LATER OCCASION. THERE IS NO BAR OF COURSE FROM HONG KONG CIVIL SERVANTS DISCUSSING MATTERS WITH INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE
PWC, MANY MANY OF WHOM HAVE IMPORTANT POSTS OF RESPONSIBILITY IN THE EXISTING ARRANGEMENTS IN HONG KONG. SO THERE'S NO DIFFICULTY ABOUT THAT. ACROSS THE RANGE OF POLICY MATTERS THERE IS A VERY WIDE DEGREE OF CO-OPERATION ALREADY. MORE SO THAN IS GENERALLY REALISED, EXEMPLIFIED, I THINK, BY THE VERY RECENT AGREEMENTS COVERING CO- OPERATION WITH SHENZHEN AND THE 24 HOUR OPENING OF THE FRONTIER. THESE SHOW THAT WHEN YOU MOVE AWAY FROM THE POLITICAL SPHERE, AND DON'T ALLOW POLITICAL DIFFICULTIES TO DOMINATE A DISCUSSION, WHEN YOU ACTUALLY IDENTIFY THE SHARED INTEREST AND ACT ON IT, THEN IT'S POSSIBLE TO REACH AGREEMENT REALLY WITHOUT TOO MUCH DIFFICULTY. THAT'S THE KIND OF EXAMPLE WE NEED TO FOLLOW.
/QUESTION: