XN000022-1990-06-25 — Page 26

SIR DAVID:

I'LL BE VERY QUICK.

LAST YEAR A NUMBER OF BOATS TURNED UP IN JAPAN. THEY WERE THOUGHT TO COME FROM VIETNAM, THEY WEPE SCREENED, IT WAS FOUND THAT A NUMBER CAME FROM CHINA NOT VIETNAM. THOSE WHO CAME FROM CHINA WERE SENT BACK TO CHINA - NOBODY SAID A WORD ABOUT IT. THOSE WHO CAME FROM VIETNAM ARE STILL STUCK IN JAPAN. IT IS WRONG THAT THERE SHOULD BE THIS DOUBLE STANDARD.

OLIVER SCOTT:

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NOW

NOT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME LEFT IN THE PROGRAMME, ALTHOUGH THERE IS STILL TIME FOR A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS, THE FIRST OF WHICH COMES FROM MICHAEL DESELLIS CALLING FROM BRUSSELS.

CALLER: YES, GOOD EVENING, SIR DAVID.

SIR DAVID: GOOD EVENING.

CALLER: CHINESE?

HOW WILL THE HONG KONG CHINESE GET ALONG WITH THE MAINLAND

SIR DAVID: THAT IS AN INTERESTING QUESTION. WE'VE BEEN LIVING AS NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOURS FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME. I SUPPOSE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, BUT TAKING IT INTO MODERN HISTORY WE'VE BEEN LIVING AS NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOURS WITH A COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG SINCE 1949, AND WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF CONTACTS EVEN THOUGH THE SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFERENT. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO TRAVEL FROM HERE INTO CHINA EVERY YEAR IS ENORMOUS, IT'S INTO THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE VERY CLOSE RELATIVES IN CHINA, TRAVEL BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS, SO WHAT I THINK IS HAPPENING AND THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE AS CHINA ITSELF DEVELOPS AND IT FOLLOWS ITS POLICY OF BEING MORE OPEN TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD IS ALL THESE FAMILY CONTACTS, BUSINESS CONTACTS, ARE BEING RE-ESTABLISHED AND BUILT ON AND I HOPE THAT THIS NETWORK OF RELATIONSHIPS, THE WELDING OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND PARTS OF CHINA, PARTICULARLY SOUTH CHINA, WILL HELP TO SECURE THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE. I BELIEVE THAT IT WILL, THAT THIS NETWORK OF CONTACTS WILL BE VERY HELPFUL TO MAKING THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG WORK OUT PROPERLY IN PRACTICE.

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OLIVER SCOTT: SIR DAVID, IF I COULD JUST ASK YOU BRIEFLY TO TAKE OFF YOUR GOVERNOR'S HAT, THE ONE WITH ALL THOSE FEATHERS THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, AND BECOME A CHINA EXPERT, WHAT SORT OF ADMINISTRATION OR, IF YOU PREFER, REGIME, DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE IN PLACE IN PEKING IN 1997, WHICH CLEARLY IS AN ISSUE WHICH IS WORRYING A GREAT MANY PEOPLE?

SIR DAVID:

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WELL, I HAVE TO SAY THAT WHETHER I'VE GOT MY HAT ON OR NOT AND I CERTAINLY HAVEN'T GOT IT ON AT THE MOMENT BEING GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG DOESN'T GIVE YOU MUCH TIME TO BE A CHINA WATCHER, IT'S A 24 HOUR A DAY JOB HERE BEING GOVERNOR. I WOULD THINK I WOULD SAY, JUST IN GENERAL TERMS AND I DON'T HAVE TIME NOW TO BE A REAL SPECIALIST ON CHINESE POLITICS IN GENERAL TERMS I AM OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH CHINA IS GOING TO EVOLVE. THE WAY IN WHICH THE POLICY OF ECONOMIC LIBERALISATION, OF OPENING UP TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD, HAS GONE ON, IS SOMETHING WHICH I BELIEVE WILL CONTINUE. THE PRESSURES FOR IT TO CONTINUE ARE ENORMOUS AND THE CHINESE LEADERSHIP OF COURSE HAS SAID THAT IT WILL CONTINUE. NOW, THE EVENTS IN PEKING LAST YEAR WERE A GREAT SHOCK TO THAT PROCESS, AND THEY WERE AN EVEN

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