Transcript of the Governor's media session
Following is the transcript of the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten's media session after visiting the Vocational Training Council's Pokfulam Centre today (Wednesday):
Governor: Good morning. I'm delighted to see further examples of the excellent work done by the Vocational Training Council. As you know, it has a central role in providing us with the skills we need for a competitive, high employment economy. I've been impressed once again by the work being done by the VTC. We are, as you know, reviewing with the council their work to see if it needs to be re-focused in any way. We will be coming forward with agreed plans for the way ahead in the Spring or thereabouts next year. But, we know that we are building on the best possible foundations, a very good chairman and a very good team.
Question: What do you expect would come out from tomorrow's informal get- together for the Hong Kong and Chinese officials?
Governor: I hope that our officials and those who will be attending the meeting from the PRC will get to know one another better. I hope that the PRC officials will learn a little more about the excellence of our civil service and the way in which Hong Kong is governed. Obviously it's important that they should be as widely informed as possible and I hope that they will be even more convinced if that's necessary of the importance of allowing Hong Kong to get on with running its own affairs after 1997, Hong Kong has been promised a high degree of autonomy. We can all look at that promise with great confidence because the people who will be running public policy in Hong Kong are as good civil servants as you would find any where in the world. So, I hope that commitment to a high degree of autonomy can be one of the things which is underlined as a result of these getting-to-know-you meetings.
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Question: Mr Governor, you said Hong Kong people should run their own car after and now. But one of the Chinese officials has just said any important policy concerning social welfare should... the Chinese Government has the right to intervene.