XN000022-1990-01-15 — Page 5

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MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1990

BASIC "IT 18 THE FOCUS OF

THE FOREIGN SECRETARY POINTED OUT THAT A KEY AREA OF THE

STRUCTURE. LAW WAS THE CHAPTER ON THE FUTURE POLITICAL UNDERSTANDABLE THAT THIS SECTION SHOULD HAVE BECOME DEBATE IN HONG KONG.

HONG KONG THAT THE

"ITS PROVISIONS WILL HAVE A CRUCIAL EFFECT ON WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE BASIC LAW AS A WHOLE. IT 18 RIGHT COMMUNITY SHOULD HAVE EXPRESSED ITS VIEWS FULLY AND VIGOROUSLY.

SEARCH FOR CONSENSUS AND "IT IS ENCOURAGING THAT, IN THE

HAVE EMERGED COMPROMISE, A NUMBER OF CONSTRUCTIVE PROPOSALS SHOULD

то HONG KONG'S FROM THE COMMUNITY IN HONG KONG. THIS IS VERY MUCH CREDIT, MR HURD SAID.

"

HE

THE

HAD

BASIC LAW DEBATE ON THE

STIMULATED SAID THAT

1997. "IN INTEREST IN HONG KONG'S CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT BEFORE

ACCOUNT OF THE TAKING QUR DECISIONS ABOUT THIS WE MUST TAKE FULL

THAT EVOLUTION OF OPINION IN HONG KONG. WE MUST DO OUR BEST TO ENSURE THE CHANGES WE MAKE MATCH THE ASPIRATIONS OF THIS SOCIETY.'

THE FOREIGN SECRETARY SAID HE WAS PARTICULARLY CONSCIOUS OF THE ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE OF BRITAIN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HONG KONG. "AS THE ELEVENTH LARGEST TRADING ENTITY IN THE WORLD, HONG KONG AS A MUST BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS A MARKET IN ITS OWN RIGHT, NOT JUST GATEWAY TO CHINA IMPORTANT THOUGH THAT IS."

——

UNITED KINGDOM

"HONG KONG BUYS MORE GOODS PER HEAD FROM THE THAN FROM THE REST OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY PUT TOGETHER, THE WORK OF STAFF [S THE SENIOR BRITISH TRADE COMMISSIONER, PETER HEAP, AND HIS CRUCIAL.

"THAT IS WHY I AM MAKING A POINT DURING MY VISIT OF SEEING, FOR OF THE BUSINES8 MYSELF HIS OPERATION AND MEETING REPRESENTATIVES

PLAY THE COMMUNITY HERE. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE BRITISH COMPANIES TO

ARE DETERMINED FULLEST POSSIBLE PART IN HONG KONG'S FUTURE. WE

HE SAID. BUILD A GREATER SHARE OF THIS IMPORTANT MARKET,

TO

HONO PLANS

"THIS IS NOT A SHORT TERM STRATEGY. BRITISH INTERESTS IN KONG WILL CONTINUE WELL BEYOND 1997. WE ARE WORKING URGENTLY ON

ΤΟ MATCH OUR ΤΟ ESTABLISH A SUBSTANTIAL REPRESENTATION AFTER 1997, CONTINUING INTERESTS IN THE TERRITORY, I KNOW THAT THE BRITISH COUNCIL

11 HE ADDED. ALSO HAVE PLANS TO EXTEND THEIR PRESENCE HERE,

MR HURD

THE

SAID HONG KONG WAS ALSO IMPORTANT

WORLD FINANCIAL INTERNATIONAL FORCE IN INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT.

AS A SIGNIFICANT AND WAS A FOCUS

OF

AMERICAN

"RECENT INVESTMENT DECISIONS BY BRITISH, JAPANESE AND FIRMS; INTERNATIONAL INTEREST IN THE NEW AIRPORT PROJECTS AND CABLE TV DEVELOPMENTS ARE

AN INTERNATIONAL VOTE OF ALL KONG," HE SAID.

CONFIDENCE

IN

HONG

/"THE PROSPECTS