XN000022-1987-10-24 — Page 22

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1987

THE

AND EVEN

GOOD DEAL

TO

SIR DAVID: FOR A LAST QUESTION, THAT'S A MARVELOUSLY BROAD ONE. (LAUGHTER). LET ME JUST LIST A FEW OF THEM WITHOUT GOING INTO IT IN

TREATY EXISTENCE OF THE SORT OF LONG LECTURE. FIRST OF ALL IS

PEOPLE WHO ARRANGEMENT ITSELF, THE JOINT DECLARATION. THERE ARE SOME

AGREEMENTS,

IF AN ARE SKEPTICAL

INTERNATIONAL ABOUT

THE UNITED INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT IS LEGALLY BINDING, REGISTERED IN

MORE THAN THE PAPER NATIONS, THEY SAY WHAT'S IT WORTH? IS IT WORTH

ARE IT'S WRITTEN ON? I HAPPEN TO BELIEVE THAT IT'S WORTH A LOT. THERE AGREEMENTS. INTERNATIONAL

BUT EXAMPLE IN HISTORY OF PEOPLE BREAKING

DAMAGE TO COUNTRIES DO IT VERY RELUCTANTLY INDEED. IT IS OF ENORMOUS

KEEPING THEIR REPUTATION. CHINA HAS A REMARKABLY GOOD REPUTATION FOR

SINCE INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS. I DON'T KNOW ANY CASE IN WHICH CHINA, 1949, HAS BROKEN AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT. SO I ATTACH A OF WEIGHT TO THAT. SECONDLY, I WOULD ATTACH A GREAT DEAL OF WEIGHT THE VALUE TO CHINA OF HONG KONG, A SUCCESSFUL HONG KONG. IT'S VALUABLE IN A TRADING SENSE. A GOOD DEAL OF FOREIGN IN TWO WAYS, ONE IS

KONG. HONG THROUGH

HONG KONG CAN PROVIDE EXCHANGE IS BARNED

FOR THE PROCESS OF MODERNISATION GOOD DEAL OF SUPPORT CAPITAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SKILLS, THE ACCESS TO WHICH MIGHT OTHERWISE BE HARDER TO ATTAIN, AND

SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF HONG KONG AND THE DECLARATION COULD BE SEEN AS A POSSIBLE MODEL

CHINESE LEADERSHIP. TOO IS OF IMPORTANCE TO THE CHINA IS A CONCEPT TO WHICH THEY ATTACH A GREAT NOW THAT'S JUST SELECTING A FEW THINGS OUT OF WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE

ARE VERY GOOD REASONS AN HOUR LONG LECTURE. BUT I THINK THERE CONFIDENCE IN THE FAITHFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT.

A OF CHINA, A WESTERN WORLD THIRDLY, THE EXAMPLE THE JOINT FOR TAIWAN, AND THAT RE-UNIFICATION OF DEAL OF IMPORTANCE.

QUESTIONER: ONE LAST QUESTION. (LAUGHTER).

OF

BE

FOR

SIR DAVID: THE THIRD LAST QUESTION OF THE DAY.

AGREEMENT EXAMPLE

THE ABOUT

USE THE

AND BETWEEN CHINA OF THE TREATMENT OF YOU ELABORATE ON

QUESTIONER: WE TALK HONG KONG, SOMETIMES PEOPLE (TIBET?) CHINA MAKES AS A WORRISOME EXAMPLE. COULD THAT?

SIR DAVID:

SORRY, I'M

BETWEEN

I

TO HAVE

HONG

REGISTERED

YOU PUT

THE

ON RIGHT BETWEEN BRITAIN BACKGROUND, IF I MAY. FIRST OF ALL, THE AGREEMENT IS

THE KONG AND CHINA. SECONDLY, AND CHINA, IT'S NOT

A LEGALLY BINDING SINO-BRITISH AGREEMENT IS AN INTERNATIONAL TREATY,

AT

THERE IS THE UNITED NATIONS. INTERNATIONAL TREATY

SAY TIBET IS NOTHING OF THAT SORT RELATING TO THAT. LASTLY, I WOULD VERY DIFFERENT INDEED FROM HONG KONG, INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT IN GREAT DETAIL AND I'VE JUST SAID WHY I THINK IT WILL

1 KNOW THAT KONG, IN HONG THERE IS NOBODY

KONG IN THE WAY

BEEN PEOPLE HAVE

FOR THE INDEPENDENCE OF HONG

ARE

REPORTERS

RIGHT,

INDEPENDENCE OF TIBET.

THERE

FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE THIS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, BE FULFILLED; AND SECONDLY, ARGUING WHO IS OF,

NEWSPAPER THAT, IF

IN

FOR LHASA

QUESTIONER: SIR DAVID, ARE YOU GOING TO DISTANCE YOUR SOOTHSAYER NOW? (LAUGHTER).

THE

OFFICIAL

OTHER WAY OF THING DOESN'T DO IT

SIR DAVID: OR PROMOTE HIM UPWARDS, WHICH IS THE MAKING SURE THAT SOMEBODY WHO'S DONE THE WRONG AGAIN. (LAUGHTER). SADLY, I DON'T HAVE AN OFFICIAL SOOTHSAYER.

/7