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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1994
TRANSCRIPT OF THE GOVERNOR'S PRESS BRIEFING
THE
FOLLOWING IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS BRIEFING GIVEN BY GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, AT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT LONDON OFFICE THIS (THURSDAY) MORNING:
GOVERNOR:
WELCOME, ON THIS WONDERFUL AUTUMN DAY, AS YOU KNOW, THE MAIN PURPOSE OF MY VISIT, AS WELL AS SEEING THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE FOREIGN SECRETARY AND OTHER SENIOR OFFICIALS, WAS TO SPEAK AT THE TDC DINNER LAST NIGHT. EVERY GOVERNOR HAS BEEN TO THE TDC DINNER FOR SOME YEARS
QUITE PROPERLY - BECAUSE IT IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST OCCASIONS AT WHICH PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO SHOW THEIR INTEREST IN AND SUPPORT FOR HONG KONG. THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE THERE LAST NIGHT KNOW THAT IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL OCCASION AGAIN, WITH A HUGE OUT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT WE ARE DOING, PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN HOW THE TRANSITION IS GOING AND HOW HONG KONG CAN CONTINUE TO BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT HAS BEEN.
WILL
TURN
AND
THE GOVERNOR OF THE BANK, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CENTRAL BANK GOVERNORS IN THE WORLD, MADE A VERY HELPFUL AND INTERESTING SPEECH. CLEARLY, THE POINT HE MADE ABOUT HOW IT TAKES TO ESTABLISH A REPUTATION BUT HOW QUICKLY YOU CAN LOSE ONE HAS TO BE ONE OF OUR MOTTOS FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
I HAVE MORE MEETINGS WITH OFFICIALS THIS WEEK, PRIMARILY WITH THE FOREIGN SECRETARY TODAY. TONIGHT I HAVE ONE MORE SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT: I AM GIVING THE ANNUAL SWISS BANK LECTURE AND COPIES OF THAT TEXT WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTERWARDS. IT IS A SPEECH WHICH IS PRINCIPALLY ABOUT TRADE AND PROTECTIONISM, AND COPIES WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU AS YOU LEAVE.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?
QUESTION:
I LISTENED WITH INTEREST AGAIN TO YOU YESTERDAY, SUGGESTING THAT YOU WERE QUITE OPTIMISTIC, APPARENTLY, THAT THINGS WERE GOING TO MOVE, TOWARDS THE END OF THE NEXT YEAR OR EARLY NEXT YEAR. BUT APART FROM THE MINUTE ON THE AIRPORT, I WONDER WHAT EVIDENCE THERE MAY BE IN THE BACKGROUND THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE A CHANGE TOWARDS THE END OF THE YEAR, PARTICULARLY WHAT YOU REFERRED TO YESTERDAY, AND IT WAS IN THE TIMES YESTERDAY, WITH GUO FENGMIN SUGGESTING THAT REALLY THAT THIS BUSINESS ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THE
'LEGAL VACUUM' OF HONG KONG IS A SORT OF BRITISH INVENTION AND AND THAT WHEN THEY GOT THERE THEY COULD REALLY QUITE EASILY ALL THIS WITH A CHINESE LAWYER AND THE HELP OF THE HONG KONG ONE WONDERS WHETHER IT IS REALLY TRUE THAT IT IS WITHIN THE CHINESE INTEREST TO GET BACK IN BUSINESS WITH THE JLG, OR WHETHER THEY MAY JUST NOT PLAY IT A LA CARTE, IF YOU LIKE, AND THEN LEAVE THE REST.
SCARE,
ARRANGE
PEOPLE.
/GOVERNOR: