XN000022-1986-01-24 — Page 32

FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1986

5

J

MR RENTON : 1 THINK THE POSITION ON THIS IS QUITE CLEAR AND I HOPE THAT IS AN ACCURATE TRANSLATION, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GIVING IT TO ME. THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF HK UP UNTIL THE YEAR 1997 LIES FIRMLY AND SQUARELY WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, AND THERE'S NO QUALIFICATION TO THAT. THAT IS AN ABSOLUTE STATEMENT. BUT I HAVE NO DOUBT, AND I HOPE THAT I MADE THIS CLEAR WHEN I WAS LAST HERE ON MY VERY INTERESTING VISIT IN OCTOBER, THAT WHAT WE ALL WISH TO DO IS TO DEVELOP AN ELECTORAL SYSTEM, A GOVERN- MENTAL SYSTEM, A CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM, WHATEVER YOU THINK IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE WORD, IN HK THAT IS APPROPRIATE TO THE UNIQUE NEEDS AND SYSTEM OF HK. NOW I'VE NO DOUBT THAT THROUGH LEGCO, WITH THE HELP OF LEGCO, THE ADMINISTRATION, THE GOVERNMENT HERE IN HK WILL BE CONSIDERING HOW BEST TO TAP OPINION IN HK OVER THE MONTHS AHEAD PRIOR TO THE 87 REVIEW. THAT IS AFTER ALL THEIR JOB, SOMETHING THAT WAS DONE, FOR EXAMPLE, IN RELATION TO THE ASSESSMENT OFFICE OR BEFORE THE GREEN PAPER A FEW YEARS AGO THAT LED ON TO THE WHITE PAPER OF 84. FROM THAT OF COURSE THE HK GOVERNMENT WILL BE GIVING VIEWS TO US IN LONDON AS TO WHAT SHOULD GO INTO THE ELECTORAL REVIEW OF 87. BUT THIS IS A MATTER IN WHICH THE VIEWS IN HK, BECAUSE IT IS A UNIQUE SITUATION, ARE OBVIOUSLY OF VERY SUBSTANTIAL IMPORTANCE. THIS IS A SYSTEM TO BE DEVELOPED THAT WILL SUIT THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE IN HK. BUT IN SAYING THAT I'M NOT BACKING OUT IN ANY SENSE FROM THE OVERRIDING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF HK THAT RESTS WITH THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IN LONDON,

PATRICIA Q. I'M FROM THE AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION. PENN. THERE DOES SEEM TO BE A MASSIVE CONTRADICTION BETWEEN WHAT YOU SAID IN NOVEMBER AND WHAT YOU SAID IN PEKING BECAUSE THE TERM CONVERGENCE WAS USED BY YOURSELF ABOUT EIGHT TIMES IN PEKING I THINK. NOW, IN NOVEMBER YOU EMPHASISED THAT IT WOULD BE UP TO HONGKONGERS TO DEVISE A SYSTEM THAT WOULD BE SUITABLE TO HK AND IT WOULD NOT BE FOR BRITAIN. NOW THE MESSAGE WE'RE GETTING IS THAT CHINA AND BRITAIN ARE TOGETHER GOING TO STEER HK TOWARDS SOMETHING THAT IS SUITABLE TO FUTURE GOVERNMENT.

MR RENTON : I REALLY WOULD SUGGEST, WITH ALL RESPECT, THAT YOU DON'T LOOK TOO MUCH FOR HIDDEN MEANINGS OR SIGNIFICANCES IN THE USE OF THE WORD CONVERGENCE. FIRST, I USED THAT IN PEKING BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW OF A BETTER WORD. I'VE TRIED TO EXPLAIN BRIEFLY WHAT IS IN OUR MIND THE CONCEPT OF TWO RAILWAY TRACKS COMING TOGETHER AT THE CROSSING POINT, BUT IF YOU CAN SUGGEST TO ME, MADAM, A BETTER WORD THAT MEANS THE SAME THING I'LL GLADLY USE IT. I SAID THAT IN PEKING, I'LL SAY THAT NOW. NOW THE QUESTION ABOUT THE FUTURE GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATURE OF THE HK SPECIAL ADMINISTRATION, IT IS ENSHRINED IN ANNEXE ONE ATTACHED TO THE JOINT DECLARATION THAT... I'LL READ THE ACTUAL WORDS... THE GOVERNMENT AND THE LEGISLATURE OF THE HK SPECIAL ADMINISTRATION SHOULD BE COMPOSED OF LOCAL INHABITANTS. THE WORD LOCAL IS THEN USED TWO OR THREE TIMES, AT LEAST TWICE, AGAIN IN THAT PARAGRAPH. SO OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT THAT HAS TO SUIT LOCAL PEOPLE AND THE LOCAL CONDITIONS HERE IN HK. THAT IS ENSHRINED IN, AS I SAY, ANNEXE ONE ATTACHED TO THE JOINT AGREEMENT. BUT IN SAYING THAT I DON'T RUN AWAY FROM THE OVERALL RESPONSIBILITY OF HMG FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF HK, NOR DO I DENY THE CONCEPT THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR A COMING TOGETHER OF WHAT HAPPENS IN 87 WITH THE REVIEW, THE ELECTIONS OF 88, WITH THE BASIC LAW, BECAUSE IF THERE WEREN'T THERE OBVIOUSLY COULD BE A VERY UNPLEASANT JOLT SOME TIME AFTER 97. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THAT'S COMMONSENSE.

/Q. SIMON