Transcript of Governor's media session
Following is the transcript of the media session by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, after the Exco meeting this (Tuesday) morning:
Governor: Good morning. Save you going out to Kai Tak this afternoon. I'm leaving as you know this afternoon for Canada and the United States. I'm speaking in Vancouver and Toronto, and in Ottawa having meetings with the Prime Minister Mr Chretien, with the Foreign Minister and with other Canadian ministers. And I'll of course in Vancouver and Toronto be meeting many members of the Hong Kong community in Canada. I'll obviously be discussing matters of mutual interests, trade, right of abode, visa free access and so on. I'm then going on to the United States where my principal purpose will be to lobby for unconditional renewal of MFN for China, speaking as I said last week not on behalf of China, but on behalf of Hong Kong. First of all, however, I'll be stopping over in New York where I'm speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations and to the US-China Committee. And I'm also visiting a number of newspapers and magazines. I'm then going on to Washington where we're still in the process of setting up meetings with congressional and senate committees, senators and congressmen and members of the administration. I'm speaking at the National Press Club and I'm speaking at the Heritage Foundation. Then I'm gong on to Seattle and coming back to Hong Kong arriving on the 11th of May on the inaugural flight of Cathay's 777. So I'll be away for about 11 days with a pretty full programme.
Question: Are you satisfied with the remarks by Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen that the provisional legislature will not start its function of legislation before 1997? And also as the last Governor of Hong Kong, will you consider it a paramount duty to press the UK Government to bring the case to the world court if China insists on establishing the provisional legislature after 1997?
Governor: Let's deal with the rice one spoonful at a time. First of all, what Mr Qian said was a reconfirmation of what he had said to Mr Rifkind and what I've said. There is only one Legislative Council in Hong Kong until the 30th June 1997. If China is then going to dismantle that Legislative Council, it's for China to explain the reasons why. Secondly, as for own position after 1997, while I'm sure that people would think it was right that I should maintain a period of reflective silence for a short time after leaving Hong Kong and while it would of course be imperative that I shouldn't do anything to make the job of my successor more difficult, I shall continue to retain an interest in Hong Kong and would regard it as my duty to urge British Government, British officials and British politicians to take very seriously indeed any breaches that there might be of the Joint Declaration. But I hope that there won't be any.
Question: Besides the MFN, when you visit the United States, will you also lobby the US Government or the congressmen to support the Hong Kong Government's stand which is against a provisional legislature?