XN000022-1984-12-21 — Page 31

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1984

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Q 24. (IN CHINESE) YOU HAVE SPOKEN TO PREMIER ZHAO ABOUT SINO- BRITISH RELATIONSHIPS IN PEK ING. COULD ASK IN WHAT AREAS YOU WILL HAVE MORE COOPERATION WITH CHINA? IT IS HEARD THAT IN CHINA THERE WILL BE A SENIOR DELEGATION GOING TO BRITAIN NEXT YEAR, WHAT QUESTIONS WILL YOU BE TALKING ABOUT THEN?

PRIME MINISTER RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN ARE ALREADY GOOD. TRADE BETWEEN CHINA AND BRITAIN IS INCREASING. THERE WILL BE A TRADE DELEGATION SOMETIME DURING NEXT YEAR. IT IS NOT THE FIRST TRADE DELEGATION - IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY BEFORE AND THEY, OF COURSE, WILL CONTINUE. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY TOGETHER ON A NUMBER OF THINGS. AS YOU KNOW WE ARE VERY INTERESTED FOR EXAMPLE IN DOING WORK IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON OIL. WE HAVE BEEN DOING IT BP HAVE BEEN THERE FOR SOME TIME AND ARE GOING TO CONTINUE THEIR EXPLORATION. CABLE AND WIRELESS HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS FOR SOME TIME. AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE PLANS FOR THE GUANGDONG NUCLEAR POWER STATION FOR SOME TIME. WE HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE DELEGATIONS TO CHINA ABOUT MANY MATTERS. THERE WILL BE A TRADE DELEGATION, I THINK UNDER LORD YOUNG, IN MARCH. PREVIOUSLY THERE HAVE BEEN MANY TRADE DELEGATIONS. NATURALLY YES, I DO HOPE THAT THE TRADE WILL INCREASE. WE ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO GET EXTRA EXPORTS AS EXACTLY HONG KONG IS TRYING TO GET EXTRA EXPORTS TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. ALSO. MAY I POINT OUT. THAT PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG WILL BE VISITING BRITAIN THIS COMING YEAR, I BELIEVE, POSSIBLY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR. I BELIEVE HE IS DOING A TOUR TO EUROPE AND HE WILL COME TO BRITA IN WHICH WE ARE VERY, VERY, PLEASED ABOUT.

Q 25.

WONG YUK-WING, TVB NEWS | WOULD LIKE TO GO BACK TO THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER THE CONTENT OF THE TALKS IN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL? HOW WILL THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG BE INFORMED SO THAT WE WILL NOT REPEAT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS IN THE PAST TWO YEARS?

PRIME MINISTER YES, OF COURSE THE CONTENT AND DISCUSSIONS IN A JOINT LIAISON GROUP WILL BE CONFIDENTIAL. YOU SIMPLY COULDN'T

WE HAVE WORK THAT KIND OF GROUP UNLESS THEY WERE CONFIDENTIAL. KEPT CLOSELY IN TOUCH WITH HONG KONG PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THIS TIME AND OF COURSE THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP WILL KEEP IN TOUCH AS WE ALWAYS HAVE. SO I DO NOT THINK YOU NEED HAVE ANY WORRIES ON THAT SCORE, AGAIN, I REPEAT, THAT OUR PRIME CONCERN IN ENTERING INTO THESE NEGOTIATIONS AND SEEKING THE AGREEMENT WAS THE FUTURE OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

Q 26. WONG YUK-WING, TVB NEWS : SINCE THE TALKS OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL AGAIN HOW WILL THE VIEWS OF THE HONG KONG PEOPLE BE REFLECTED IN THE GROUP MEETINGS?

PRIME MINISTER THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG IS CONSTANTLY IN TOUCH WITH THE HONG KONG PEOPLE. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVES. THEY HAVE KEPT VERY CLOSELY IN TOUCH WITH HONG KONG PEOPLE DURING THIS TIME AND THEY WILL ALSO DO SO DURING THE CONTINUATION OF THE AGREEMENT UP TO 1997.

/QUESTIONER: