XN000022-1984-08-01 — Page 6

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1984

QUESTION ONE, LOUIE KING BIN, TA KUNG PAO:

+CHINA'S LEADERS DESCRIBE THE DISCUSSION AS DEMONSTRATING A SPIRIT OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND MUTUAL ACCOMMODATION. WHAT KIND OF ACCOMMODATION DID THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT MAKE DURING THE SINO-BRITISH TALKS? HOW DID IT HELP THE TWO GOVERNMENTS TO REACH WHAT YOU CALL AN HISTORIC AGREEMENT?+

ANSWER:

+WELL, AS I HAVE SAID IN MY STATEMENT, WE HAVE BEEN WORK ING TOGETHER IN A SPIRIT OF MUTUAL ACCOMMODATION AND COOPERATION WITH OUR OWN CLEAR OBJECTIVE AND IN A SPIRIT OF GIVE AND TAKE. THAT IS THE PATTERN AND STYLE OF ANY NEGOTIATION AND IT IS ON THAT BASIS WE HAVE REACHED THE POINTS WHICH I HAVE DESCRIBED TO YOU IN MY STATEMENT TODAY.+

QUESTION TWO, LINDA JAIVIN, ASFAWEEK:

+WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS, YOU SAY THAT THIS AGREEMENT AND ITS ANNEXES WILL ALL BE LEGALLY BINDING. UNDER WHAT LAW WILL IT BE LEGALLY BINDING? EXACTLY HOW WILL IT BE LEGALLY BINDING? AND IS IT POSSIBLE, AS SOME RECENT REPORTS HAVE SUGGESTED HERE, THAT SOME OF THE POST-1997 ARRANGEMENTS, THE DETAILS OF THESE ARRANGEMENTS. WILL BE ENSHRINED IN ONE OF THE ANNEXES WHICH MAY BE CONSIDERED LESS BINDING THAN THE OTHER PARTS OF THE AGREEMENT?+

ANSWER:

+NOW, HAVE MADE VERY CLEAR IN MY STATEMENT THAT THE ANNEXES WHICH WILL CONTAIN ALL THE PROVISIONS HAVE BEEN DESCRIBING WILL BE EQUALLY BINDING IN AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT, AND AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT IS, OF COURSE, THE HIGHEST FORM OF COMMITMENT POSSIBLE BETWEEN SOVEREIGN STATES.+

QUESTION THREE, DINAH LEE, WASHINGTON POST/INTERNATIONAL HERALD

TRIBUNE.

+MANY IN HONG KONG HAVE LOOKED FOR A CONTINUING BRITISH LINK TO ADMINISTRATION AFTER 1997. NOTE THAT YOU MAKE IT VERY CLEAR IN YOUR SPEECH THAT THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP WILL PLAY NO PART IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF HONG KONG. HOWEVER, WOULD YOU SAY THAT THE WORK OF THE GROUP BETWEEN 1997 AND THE YEAR 2000 COULD QUALIFY AS A BRITISH LINK AND IS THERE ANY USEFUL PURPOSE FOR CONTINUING THE GROUP'S WORK AFTER THE YEAR 2000?+

/ANSWER: