Governor: I think everybody knows by now because I've given the answer to the same question, I should think a thousand times that it's my intention, God willing, which is the British Government's intention, God willing, that I should be here as Governor until June 30 1997 which point I will depart. Can I suggest that we, having said that once again, can I suggest that we do a deal together. The next person who ask me that question in the next 600 days makes a $500 contribution to the Hong Kong Journalist Association Charity Fund. How about that as a deal. You know what the answer to the question is. I know what the question is. There's a story in one of our excellent newspapers this morning based on a Labour MP's intention of tabling a question, asking whether the Governor of Hong Kong can remain Governor of Hong Kong and fight a seat in the next British general election. You know, I know, the Labour MP who asked the question knows that the answer is no. The Governor of Hong Kong can't fight a Parliamentary seat in the next election. Nor does the Governor of Hong Kong wish to fight a seat in the next election because the Governor of Hong Kong is going to have quite enough to do until June 30, 1997. Now we've got that deal and the Hong Kong Journalist Association will be very grateful to the next person who asks the question.
-T1
Question: a report in the Fortune Magazine that Hong Kong slips from first to sixth place in the world...?
Governor: I just wonder whether Fortune magazine are now trying to, retrospectively, find some justifications for the front page story they ran a few weeks ago. It's very funny, isn't it, that last year Fortune Magazine had us first in the list as the most business friendly economy in the world. Shortly after that, they decided that we were about to drop dead. In between times, the World Economic Forum shifted us up one place in the world competitiveness league from fourth to third. Now Fortune Magazine have had another piece seeming to justify their front page story. One can't help but wonder what's going on. I thought the World Economic Forum piece was a good deal more objective and I also the Heritage Foundation, the distinguished American think tank which is I believe about to say that we are once again the freest economy in the world. The most important thing for us to do though is to go on trying to retain our competitiveness by investing in our people, in their skills and in their knowledge, by investing in our infrastructure and by trying to keep our costs down as much as we can so that we remain a competitive economy and judging by our export performance that's exactly what we are.
H
Question: Chinese officials said yesterday that finally they're going to talk about Hong Kong's major law changes. Do you think the Chinese... side have tried to interfere with Hong Kong's internal affairs like law change in Hong Kong...?