XN000022-1987-05-30 — Page 23

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A: WHAT I SAID AT THE BEGINNING WAS THAT THE EXISTENCE OF A BASIC LAW, THE FACT THAT THE FIRST DRAFT WILL NOT COME OUT UNTIL 1988. THE BASIC LAW ITSELF PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE PASSED UNTIL 1990 IS AN IMPORTANT POLITICAL FACT WHICH PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WILL WISH TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, I FEEL SURE, IN CONSIDERING ALL THE RANGE OF OPTIONS PUT DOWN IN THE GREEN PAPER. SO TO THAT EXTENT THE BASIC LAW DOES HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE GREEN PAPER AND IT CLEARLY WILL IN PEOPLE'S MINDS.

Q: CHEUNG CHEE-KWONG (TVB), SIR DAVID, THE GREEN PAPER DOESN'T EVEN MENTION THE DATE FOR THE NEXT REVIEW. CAN WE EXPECT ONE IN THE FUTURE?

A: THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WHICH WILL BE LOOKED AT WHEN THE GOVERNMENT IS DRAFTING THE WHITE PAPER. IT DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT AT THE MOMENT IN THE GREEN PAPER EXERCISE TO BE LOOKING TWO STEPS AHEAD TO WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER REVIEW AND IF SO WHEN, BUT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WILL BE LOOKED AT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WHITE PAPER,

Q: CAN YOU EXPECT ONE, SAY, IN 1989 OR 1990?

A: WELL. YOU ARE NOT ASKING ME NOW TO START DRAFTING THE WHITE PAPER. ALL I CAN SAY AT THIS STAGE IS THAT WHETHER OR NOT TO WRITE INTO THE WHITE PAPER THE EXISTENCE OF ANOTHER REVIEW AND, IF SO, THE TIMING OF IT, THAT WILL BE CONSIDERED AT THE END OF THIS EXERCISE. NOW IF THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THAT THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER REVIEW AND THAT IT SHOULD BE AT A CERTAIN TIME, THEN HOPE THEY WILL PUT FORWARD THOSE IDEAS DURING THE GREEN PAPER EXERCISE. Q: ANN QUON, (SUNDAY MORNING POST), IN 1979 THE THEN GOVERNOR MACLEHOSE MET WITH DENG XIAOPING IN PEKING AND WHEN HE RETURNED TO HONG KONG, HE TOLD INVESTORS TO PUT THEIR HEARTS AT EASE. YOU YOURSELF AS POLITICAL ADVISER AND SIR S.Y. KAN AS SENIOR EXECUTIVE UNOFFICIAL WERE PART OF THAT GROUP, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS WITH VARYING DEGREES OF AUTHENTICITY AS TO WHAT ELSE WAS SAID AT THAT MEETING WITH DENG. COULD YOU NOW AT THE START OF YOUR GOVERNORSHIP PUT THE RECORD STRAIGHT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED?

A: FIRST OF ALL, IT WAS SIR Y.K. KAN. THANK YOU FOR GIVING YOUR NAME AT THE BEGINNING BECAUSE KNOWING WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN RECENTLY, THERE IS ONE POINT THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE UP AND I THINK IT IS RIGHT THAT THE RECORD SHOULD BE PUT STRAIGHT ON IT.

CHAIRMAN DENG XIAOPING AT THAT TIME RE-STATED THE CHINESE POSITION ABOUT HONG KONG WHICH IS THAT HONG KONG IS CHINESE TERRITORY. BUT IT IS WRONG TO SUGGEST THAT HE SAID THAT CHINA

OR HAD MADE A DEFINITE DECISION TO TAKE OVER HONG KONG IN 1997 TO SUGGEST THAT LORD MACLEHOSE THEN SOMEHOW CONCEALED THIS FACT. THAT IS QUITE WRONG.

/IT IS

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