XN000022-1986-01-24 — Page 34

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 1986

MR RENTON WELL OBVIOUSLY THE AGREEMENT IS BASED ON THE CONCEPT, AS YOU SAY, OF ONE COUNTRY. TWO SYSTEMS. THAT IS A UNIQUE CONCEPT. IT WAS WIDELY HERALDED AND APPLAUDED IN 1984 WHEN THE DECLARATION WAS SIGNED AND WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET HOW WELL RECEIVED THAT DECLARATION AND THE AGREEMENT WAS. NOTHING HAS HAPPENED TO CHANGE THAT, BUT THE WORKING OUT OF THIS IN PRACTICE ... THERE ARE NOT SET TEXTBOOK RULES OBVIOUSLY AND IT IS THAT THAT IS NOW GOING TO CONCERN US ALL IN THE YEARS AHEAD, THAT WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT AND THAT STIMULATES THE QUESTIONS FROM YOU THIS MORNING AND FROM THE UNOFFICIALS IN MANY CASES LAST NIGHT. IT WOULD BE QUITE WRONG FOR ME TO MAKE PRIOR JUDGEMENTS ABOUT DIRECT OR INDIRECT ELECTIONS FOR EXAMPLE WHEN IT IS ALL HYPOTHETICAL. NONE OF THESE PROPOSITIONS HAVE BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD YET. WE'VE GOT TO WAIT AND SEE HOW THE SUGGESTIONS FLOW FORWARD IN THE PERIOD LEADING UP TO THE 87 REVIEW TO WHICH, AS A GOVERNMENT, WE'RE COMMITTED AND WE'RE ALSO COMMITTED TO THE KNOWLEDGE THAT IT MUST BE A SERIOUS REVIEW.

Q. LAI TING-YIU FROM HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL. MR RENTON YOU TOLD THE PRESS IN PEKING THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WOULD GET IN TOUCH WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT IN FUTURE TO AVOID MISUNDERSTANDINGS. I WANT TO KNOW, WERE THERE ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN THESE TWO SIDES BEFORE YOU WENT TO PEKING, AND WAS IT THIS KIND OF MISUNDERSTANDING THAT CAUSED THE STATEMENT OF MR XU JIATUN, THE DIRECTOR OF XINHUA, SAYING THAT SOMEBODY VIOLATED THE AGREEMENT? WERE THERE ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENTS BEFORE YOU WENT TO PEKING?

MR RENTON : THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP HAS NOW MET TWICE, WHICH IS THE MOST REGULAR AND OFFICIAL CONTACT BETWEEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AS YOU WILL KNOW, AND THE PURPOSE OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP MEETINGS, AND THE LAST ONE WAS IN DECEMBER, IS TO HAMMER OUT MISUNDERSTANDINGS, TO IRON THEM OUT AND TO ARRIVE AT SENSIBLE CONCLUSIONS. NOW OBVIOUSLY IN THE YEARS AHEAD THERE ARE GOING AT TIMES TO BE WHAT I WOULD CALL MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS WORKING OUT THE DETAILS OF THE AGREEMENT. BUT THE POINT OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP FIRST OF ALL WILL BE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT SENSIBLE, PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS ARE ARRIVED AT, AND THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED IN THE JLG. I THINK AFTER THE FIRST TWO MEETINGS WE CAN SEE JUST WHAT A SUCCESSFUL BODY IT IS BEING, AND THE AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE ON THE RIGHT OF ABODE ENDORSEMENT IN THE NEW PASSPORT, THAT IS ONE VERY CONCRETE INSTANCE OF THAT. SO OF COURSE THESE CONTACTS BETWEEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE NOT ONLY THROUGH THE JLG BUT ALSO AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL BECAUSE I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IT IS ONLY BY REGULAR CONTACT AND INCREASED EXCHANGE OF VIEWS AT ALL LEVELS THAT WE CAN AVOID FUTURE MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND IN PRACTICE AND IN A PRAGMATIC WAY WORK OUT THE DETAIL OF THIS REMARKABLE DECLARATION AND AGREEMENT.

Q.

MAY CHENG OF ATV. THE HK UMELCO MEMBERS SAID IF BRITAIN INSISTS ON EVADING ITS RESPONSIBILITY ON THE BN(0) PASSPORT, THE NON-CHINESE MINORITY GROUP AND THE EX-SERVICEMEN, THEN THE HK GOVERNMENT WILL BE MADE INTO A LAME DUCK GOVERNMENT. DO YOU SEE THAT AS THE SITUATION OF THE HK GOVERNMENT?

/MR RENTON :