9.
Governor: I don't recall ever saying on April 28, that after June 30, 1997, I wouldn't be interested in Hong Kong and UK Government wouldn't be interested in Hong Kong. That is the opposite of the situation and I hope the Honourable gentleman won't regard that as a provocation because I'm very keen that our warm relationship should continue through another year of these question sessions.
Let me say what the situation is and to express my surprise that it should every be regarded as controversial. The Joint Declaration is a guarantee of Hong Kong's way of life for 50 years after 1997. It's a guarantee which is embodied in a treaty signed by China and signed by the United Kingdom. If you sign a treaty giving a guarantee for 50 years, that places on your shoulders a moral obligation to take an interest in that treaty operating as it was supposed to operate for 50 years. And since the treaty is all about guarantees for Hong Kong's way of life, then it follows that that must remain a matter of substantial interest to the United Kingdom during the period of the treaty. Now I'm not quite sure why the NCNA and others regard that as a provocative observation. Nobody is suggesting that British Sovereignty doesn't come to an end on 30 June, 1997. Nobody is suggesting that because the treaty shows a continuing interest on Britain's part, that Britain is somehow trying to extend its influence in Hong Kong beyond 30 June, 1997. That's not the case either. But there is, has always been, and will continue to be a strong moral obligation on the United Kingdom and all those who've been associated with the United Kingdom's policy on Hong Kong so far as Hong Kong's maintenance of its values and freedoms are concerned for 50 years beyond 1997. Now the Prime Minister reasserted that extremely clearly when he was in Hong Kong a few months ago. It's been reasserted by the main spokesman on foreign affairs of the main opposition party in the United Kingdom. It is British policy, if you like across the board. It's a British commitment, not just a partisan commitment and I'm sure that Britain will want to live up to it and I'm sure that there will be those in Hong Kong who will want to make certain themselves that Britain lives up to it.
Mr Lee Cheuk-yan (in Chinese): Thank you Mr President. Mr Patten, in answering Mr Chim's question you said that the Joint Declaration will guarantee that our way of life will continue for 50 years unchanged. Now one of our traditions is that on June 4, we will have a vigil and next week there will be the seventh anniversary and then the previous Sunday there will be a democratic rally.
So my question is: after 1997, if the Hong Kong SAR through legislation bans such activities, do you think that that is a threat, a great threat to Hong Kong's prosperity and stability?
Governor: The practice that I've followed is to try not to answer hypothetical questions arguing always that real life is difficult enough without imagining problems for oneself in the future. But having said that, let me offer the Honourable gentleman a couple of personal reflections on what is an important issue.