XN000022-1989-09-19 — Page 13

TUESDAY. SEPTEMBER 19. 1989

MINISTER OF STATE GIVES PRESS CONFERENCE

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THE FOLLOWING IS A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRESS GIVEN BY THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH MR FRANCIS MAUDE ON SEPTEMBER 19. 1989:

CONFERENCE AFFAIRS.

MR FRANCIS MAUDE: GOOD EVENING TO YOU ALL. I SAID WHEN I ARRIVED ON SUNDAY. THAT I HAD NOT COME TO HONG KONG BEARING MESSAGES. REMAINS THE CASE AND IF I CAME WITH AN EMPTY BAG, I'M CERTAINLY THAT

WITH RETURNING

MY ONE FULL OF LASTING IMPRESSIONS FROM

DISCUSSIONS

HERE.

AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, MY TALKS WITH THE GOVERNOR AND ALL HIS TOP VISIT. ADVISERS HAVE

PREVIOUS BEEN PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT. ON MY NEARLY A YEAR AGO. I HAD SEEN MUCH OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE TERRITORY. BUT EVEN AS WE FLEW IN ON SUNDAY EVENING, I COULD SEE DRAMATIC CHANGES FROM A YEAR AGO. HONG KONG IS CONTINUING TO DEVELOP FOR THE AT A BREATHTAKING PACE AND THAT IS THE BEST POSSIBLE AUGURY FUTURE.

I

PRESSURE EXERCISE

THE

FOURTEEN WAS ABLE TO MEET HERE WITH NO FEWER THAN ΤΟ GROUPS

WAS AN HEAR THEIR PARTICULAR CONCERNS AND THAT WHICH I FOUND VALUABLE. MY MEETINGS WITH OMELCO, WITH EXCO, WITH CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS AND WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS. ENABLED ME TO HEAR AT NATIONALITY. FIRST HAND THEIR DEEPLY HELD CONCERNS ON ISSUES SUCH AS

ALSO PACE OF POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE BASIC LAW. SIMILAR THEMES EMERGED IN THE DISCUSSIONS I HELD WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL COMMUNITY.

WHEN WE

ARE

NOW. ON THE ISSUE OF NATIONALITY, MANY HAVE ASKED ME

15. то WE'VE SAID WHAT OUR AIM WILL BE ABLE TO ANNOUNCE DECISIONS. GIVE PEOPLE

SKILLS IN

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE THE

SECTORS WHOSE ESSENTIAL FOR HONG KONG'S CONTINUED SUCCESS, THE CONFIDENCE TO REMAIN. WE ARE NOW WORKING HARD ON THE DETAILS. AS HAS ALREADY THERE IS NO WAY IN WHICH WE CAN COVER EVERYBODY. BE SOME

OF SELECTION BUT WE ARE WORKING HARD PROCESS PACKAGE RIGHT.

11

BEEN SAID,

то THERE WILL HAVE

TO GET THAT

HIS COLLEAGUES I'VE BEEN ABLE TO TOO SHORT TWO DAYS CLARITY AND

I'M MOST GRATEFUL TO THE GOVERNOR. AND TO NOW AND STAFF. FOR ARRANGING THIS VERY FULL PROGRAMME. HEAR, DURING THE COURSE OF THIS SHORT TWO DAYS

A BROAD RANGE OF OPINION ARTICULATED WITH CONVICTION. MODERATION.

THAT

KONG.

NEEDED CONVINCING FINALLY. THE ISSUE OF THE BOAT PEOPLE. IF I THE BURDEN WHICH IS BEING CARRIED BY HONG KONG WAS BECOMING INTOLERABLE, MY TRIP YESTERDAY TO HET LING CHAU, CONVINCED ME. AND I ALSO SAW FURTHER EVIDENCE WHEN WE FLEW OVER WHITEHEAD AND SHEK IT'S AN ISSUE WHICH IS OF UNIQUE IMPORTANCE TO ALL OF THOSE SPOKE TO IN HONG KONG. IT'S OF THE HIGHEST IMPORTANCE FOR US IN UK GOVERNMENT ALSO.

WHO I

THE

/NOW THE