XN000022-1987-01-16 — Page 36

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1987

SIR DAVID: THANK YOU, AS YOU KNOW, AND AS MANY OF YOU IN HONG

KONG DO, I FOLLOW DEVELOPMENTS IN CHINA WITH GREAT INTEREST. BUT THESE ARE OF COURSE THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF CHINA, AND I THINK IT WOULD BE WRONG OF ME AT THIS STAGE TO COMMENT PUBLICLY ON THEM, OR TO DO AS YOU SUGGEST, GIVE MY OWN ANALYSIS OF THEM. AS FOR HONG KONG, I THINK THE ASSURANCES FOR HONG KONG ARE CONTAINED VERY CLEARLY IN THE JOINT DECLARATION WHICH GIVES CLEAR CUT ASSURANCES ABOUT THE CONTINUITY OF THE WAY OF LIFE AND THE SYSTEMS OF HONG KONG FOR THE 50 YEARS AFTER 1997. AND, AS I SAID EARLIER, I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN THE WAY IN WHICH THAT JOINT DECLARATION IS GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTED.

NICK BEACROFT RTHK

SIR DAVID, THERE'S BEEN MUCH TALK OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WAS NOT STANDING UP TO THE CHINESE LEADERS, AND AT TIMES BEING STEAMROLLED BY THEM OVER VARIOUS ISSUES. WHAT WILL YOUR GENERAL ATTITUDE AND APPROACH BE TO THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP ONCE YOU TAKE OFFICE?

SIR DAVID PERSONALLY, I'VE ALWAYS FOUND HONG KONG EXTREMELY

CAPABLE OF STANDING UP FOR WHAT IT CONCEIVES TO BE ITS OWN INTERESTS AND ITS OWN DESIRES. I THINK THAT'S BEEN A VERY MARKED FEATURE OF HONG KONG'S WAY OF LIFE. I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOULD ALL OF US MAKE CLEAR PUBLICLY WHAT THOSE INTERESTS AND THOSE PERCEPTIONS ARE. AND THOSE POINTS HAVE TO BE MADE CLEAR SOMETIMES IN LONDON, AND I THINK THEY HAVE TO BE MADE CLEAR SOMETIMES IN PEKING. EQUALLY, THERE HAS TO BE UNDERSTANDING OF POINTS OF VIEW ON THE OTHER SIDE AS WELL. THERE HAS TO BE AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THINGS LOOK FROM LONDON SOMETIMES AND HOW THINGS LOOK FROM PEKING SOMETIMES. AND IN THAT WAY, I BELIEVE, THE INTEREST OF HONG KONG AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG CAN BEST BE PRESERVED.

CLAUDIA MO AFP #

SIR, DO YOU THINK AN EMERGENCE OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN HONG KONG COULD ENDANGER THE TERRITORY'S POLITICAL STABILITY?

SIR DAVID: I THINK HONG KONG HAS ALWAYS MANAGED TO DEVELOP ITS

OWN SYSTEMS AND ITS OWN WAY OF GOVERNMENT IN A STEADY AND GRADUAL WAY TO MEET CHANGING NEEDS AND I'M SURE THAT THAT SORT OF PROCESS WILL CONTINUE, HONG KONG -- ANY POLITICAL SOCIETY IS A LIVING ORGANISM AND NEEDS CHANGE AND WITH THOSE NEEDS CHANGING SO THE STRUCTURE SOMETIMES HAS TO CHANGE. I DON'T THINK THAT I WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON ANY PARTICULAR FORM OF POLITICAL ORGANISATION, LIKE PARTIES OR OTHERWISE. THE POINT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IS THAT, AS I SEE IT, HONG KONG HAS ALWAYS HAD A STEADY PROCESS OF CHANGE AND THAT HAS BEEN MARKED BY COMMON SENSE AND BY CAUTION. AND THAT SORT OF APPROACH HAS SERVED HONG KONG VERY WELL IN THE PAST AND WELL, I'M SURE, IN THE FUTURE.

/JAMES TAM