XN000022-1988-05-31 — Page 22

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5

TUESDAY, MAY 31, 1988

PRESENTING

SIR GEOFFREY: WELL, I SHALL BE

THE MATTER TO MY COLLEAGUES, I THINK VERY MUCH ALONG THE LINES THAT I HAVE BEEN PRESENTING TO YOU HERE TODAY AND I THINK THAT THE SEARCH FOR A SOLUTION TO THE QUESTION MUST BE ALONG THE LINES I HAVE INDICATED. WE CANNOT SUSTAIN THE IMPRESSION THAT THE WORLD CAN MANAGE OR COPE

WITH, STIL LESS HONG KONG, A CONSTANT FLOW OF PEOPLE LEAVING VIETNAM, WHO CANNOT BE CATEGORISED AS REFUGEES.

PHILIP BOWRING (FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW); I THINK IT IS A POINT OF FACT THAT THERE IS AS MANY PEOPLE LEAVING HONG KONG AT THE PRESENT TIME AS ARE LEAVING VIETNAM! WOULD YOU BE PREPARED, HAVING CATEGORISED MOST OF THE VIETNAMESE REFUGEES IN A PARTICULAR WAY, CATEGORISE PERSONS LEAVING HONG KONG AS EMIGRES OF THE POLITICAL OR ECONOMIC NATURE?

SIR

GEOFFREY: 1

WOULD

NOT ACTUALLY,

THE

LIGHT-HEARTED APPROACH, BE PREPARED TO CANVAS

FOR ALL YOUR TWO QUESTIONS IN OF

MYARAVO!

BY

ONE ECONOMIC THERE

THE SAME STYLE AT ALL. HONG KONG IS A FREE AND OPEN SOCIETY, THE MOST DYNAMIC AND DRAMATICALLY SUCCESSFUL, ADMIRED MANAGERS IN EAST AND WEST ALIKE. THROUGHOUT HONG KONG'S HISTORY HAS BEEN A FLUCTUATING PATTERN OF PEOPLE LEAVING HONG KONG AND COMING BACK TO IT.

I THINK THE KEY THING IS FOR US то CONTINUE, THAT IS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, IN WORKING AS WE HAVE BEEN DOING TO MAINTAIN THE WHOLE RANGE OF FACTORS RECOGNISED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION BEING TRANSLATED INTO THE BASIC LAW WHICH SET HONG KONG A MILLION LIGHT YEARS FROM VIETNAM AND THANK HEAVEN FOR THAT.

PHILIP BOWRING: BUT YOU HAVEN'T EXPLAINED WHY AS MANY PEOPLE SHOULD BE LEAVING HONG KONG AS ARE LEAVING VIETNAM, DESPITE THE DIFFERENCE IN CLIMATE THAT YOU SAY EXISTS.

RESPECT, THAT

SIR GEOFFREY: WELL, I SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT, WITH

1 QUESTION SCARCELY NEEDS EXPOSITION. PEOPLE LEAVE VIETNAM UNDER THE COMPULSION OF ECONOMIC POLICIES OF THE UTMOST FOLLY, FACING THE UTMOST HARDSHIP TO DO IT.

PEOPLE LEAVE HONG KONG NOW, AS THEY HAVE DONE IN ALL THE YEARS PAST, AND COME BACK TO IT, TRAVELLING TO AND FROM ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DRAMATICALLY SUCCESSFUL ECONOMIES AND ANYONE WHO SEEKS TO FORCE ANY KIND OF COMPARISON OUT OF THAT PARALLEL I THINK IS MISLEADING HIMSELF. AND YOU HAVE HAD TWO GOBS AT THE QUESTION, I DON'T THINK CAN PUT IT ANY BETTER THE NEXT TIME.

YOU

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