XN000022-1987-11-24 — Page 23

OF

IS

HARVEY PONG, OF WAH KIU YAT PAO: THE GOVERNMENT WAS ACCUSED INFLUENCING THE SURVEY COMPANY TO DISTORT THE PUBLIC OPINION. THERE ANY TRUTH IN THIS REMARK AND DO YOU CONSIDER IT AS A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE CRITICISM?

OPINION

H.E. LET ME ANSWER THE FIRST PART FIRST BECAUSE THAT'S QUITE SIMPLE. THERE IS NO TRUTH WHATSOEVER IN THE ALLEGATION THAT THE GOVERNMENT TRIED TO INFLUENCE THE SURVEY COMPANY AGB MCNAIR TO COME UP WITH ANY PARTICULAR ANSWER. WHAT WAS DONE WAS THAT THE SURVEY OFFICE WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD EMPLOY A COMPANY TO DO A PUBLIC SURVEY. IT DID THAT BY A TENDER SYSTEM. IT WAS THEN LEFT TO THE COMPANY ITSELF TO WORK OUT WHAT THE QUESTIONS WOULD BE AND THEN PUT IN THE ANSWERS TO THE SURVEY OFFICE. SO THERE WAS A VERY CAREFUL ATTEMPT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO APPEARANCE, LET ALONE A REALITY, OF THE GOVERNMENT TRYING TO INFLUENCE WHAT CAME OUT OF THAT REPORT. YOUR SECOND ONE, WAS IT A POSITIVE OR A NEGATIVE CRITICISM? I FIND THAT ONE VERY DIFFICULT TO ANSWER. IT WOULD DEPEND UPON THE SPIRIT IN WHICH IT WAS PUT FORWARD.

FROM

ARE,

YOU

MAY WONG, OF TVB NEWS: I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU, SIR DAVID. FIRST IS, OVER THE WEEKEND, SIR S.Y. CHUNG MENTIONED PRESSURES CHINA. COULD YOU TELL US AS MUCH AS YOU CAN WHAT THESE PRESSURES AND SECONDLY, COMING TO YOUR TRIP TO CHINA, THE LAST TIME THAT VISITED BEIJING YOU TALKED TO ZHOU NAN AND YOU SAID THAT YOU DISCUSSED BROAD PRINCIPLES OF CONVERGENCE. COULD YOU TELL WHO YOU WILL BE MEETING AGAIN THIS TIME, AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU WILL EXPAND ON YOUR DISCUSSIONS ON THE CONVERGENCE ISSUE?

+

.

THIS

TIME.

I.E.: JUST TO TAKE YOUR LAST BIT FIRST, IF I MIGHT I'M NOT AWARE OF HAVING SAID THAT 1 DISCUSSED WITH ZHOU NAN BROAD PRINCIPLES OF CONVERGENCE. BUT THE PEOPLE I WOULD BE MEETING THIS TIMK WILL BE THE DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER, ZHOU NAN, Ι SHALL ALSO BE MERTING MR JI PENGFEI I SHALL BE MEETING MR LU PING, AND MR LI HOU, THAT'S VERY MUCH THE SAME PEOPLE AS I MET LAST TIME. IT'S QUITE A SHORT VISIT TO PRKING INCIDENTALLY. THE FIRST ONE, WHAT SIR S.Y CHUNG SAID, I DON'T, I'M AFRAID, KNOW PRECISELY WHAT SIR S.Y. CHUNG HAD IN MIND. I AM AWARE OF THE FACT THAT THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF THE REVIEW VARIOUS THINGS HAD BEEN REPORTED AS BRING A CHINESE VIEW. BUT THEY'VE COMB FROM A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SOURCES. THE OFFICIAL CHINESE GOVERNMENT POSITION ALL ALONG HAS BEEN THAT THE REVIEW IS A MATTER FOR THE BRITISH HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ΤΟ CARRY OUT AND THEY HAVE KEPT, AS FAR AS I KNOW, VERY CAREFULLY TO SAYING THAT.

CLAUDIA ROSETT, OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: WHAT REACTION HAVE YOU HAD SO FAR FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE TO THE SURVEY REPORT?

II. E I HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY PRECISE REACTION FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE TO THE SURVEY OFFICE REPORT. THEY ARE OF COURSE AWARE OF KVERYTHING THAT'S IN IT. WE DED HAVK THE HEAD OF THE HONG KONG DEPARTMENT, MR CHRISTOPHER HUM, HERE SPENDING SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THE LAST MEETING OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. SO I HAVE, AND SO HAVE MANY OTHER PEOPLE TALKED TO HIM ABOUT IT. BUT, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT

1

( WOULD EXPECT TO GET, A FORMAL VIEW FROM THE FOREIGN OFFICE, THAT'S NOT THE WAY THAT THESE THINGS ARE CONDUCTED.

PERSONALLY

IN THE LIGHT

OF

HAPPY,

THE

JENNIFER KING, OF RADIO AUSTRALIA: ARE YOU

THE

SIR, WITH THE RESULTS OF CRITICISMS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE

SURVEY OF IT?

REPORT

/H.E.