XN000022-1991-02-20 — Page 7

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1991

6

IS

ARE

OUR

THAT RELATIONSHIP IS QUITE CLEARLY A CRUCIAL PART OF OUR LIVES IN HERE

HONG KONG NOW, AND IN THE FUTURE. IT'S

THAT ESSENTIAL

WE SHOULD TRY TO MANAGE THAT RELATIONSHIP IN THE BEST POSSIBLE

WAY. IT WON'T BE EASY AND IT WON'T BE SIMPLE. WE'VE GOT NOW SIX-AND-HALF YEARS BEFORE THE TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY IN 1997. THAT WHOLE PROCESS SOMETHING WHICH IS UNPRECEDENTED IN TERMS OF WORLD HISTORY; THERE NO INTERNATIONAL, HISTORICAL BLUEPRINTS TO GO BY, WE HAVE TO FIND OWN WAY FORWARD. IF ONE LOOKS AT THE WAY IN WHICH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA HAS DEVELOPED, BROADBRUSH, POLITICAL AS WELL AS ECONOMIC, IT MIRRORS THE WAY IN WHICH OUR ECONOMIC CONTACTS WITH GUANGDONG GROWN. AGAIN, TRANSFER YOURSELF BACK, LET'S SAY 12, 13 YEARS; 1978 1979. YOU COULD ONLY GET PHYSICALLY TO CHINA BY TAKING A TRAIN TO BORDER, GETTING OUT, CARRYING YOUR SUITCASE, WALKING ACROSS THE BRIDGE AT LOWU. THERE WERE NO OTHER WAYS OF GETTING TO CHINA. GOVERNMENT CONTACTS WERE MINIMAL; THERE WERE HARDLY ANY OFFICIAL CONTACTS BETWEEN THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS OF CHINA, LET ALONE THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OF CHINA. ALL THAT HAS CHANGED VERY DRAMATICALLY INDEED IN THE LAST 12 OR 13 YEARS.

HAVE

THE

IN HANDLING THIS NOW WE CONSTANTLY HAVE TO THINK WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF HONG KONG NOW; WHAT IS IN THE BEST OF HONG KONG LONG TERM; HOW CAN WE BEST MANAGE THE RELATIONSHIP FOR HONG KONG NOW; HOW CAN WE BEST MANAGE IT SO THAT WHEN THE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION IS SET UP IN 1997, IT STARTS OFF WITH A FIRM, GOOD FOUNDATION. THERE ARE BOUND TO BE, ON BOTH SIDES, UNCERTAINTIES; THERE ARE BOUND ΤΟ BE SUSPICIONS ON BOTH SIDES. WE COME TO THIS WITH A BACKGROUND OF LACK OF CONTACT OVER MANY YEARS; SOME HISTORICAL SUSPICIONS WE CONSTANTLY HAVE TO OVERCOME ON BOTH SIDES, AND I EMPHASIZE THIS. ON BOTH SIDES; SUSPICIONS, MYTHOLOGY AND SO ON.

I BELIEVE MYSELF THAT AS 1997 APPROACHES IN THIS SIX-AND-A-HALF YEAR PERIOD, WE MUST INCREASINGLY TRY TO SEE TO IT THAT CHINA IS WELL INFORMED ABOUT WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE: HOW HONG KONG RUNS ITSELF; WHAT ARE OUR OWN MAJOR PLANS ARE FOR THE FUTURE. THIS IS ONE OF THE THEMES THAT I USED IN MY SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL LAST OCTOBER. THAT I SEE AS NECESSARY, SO CHINA, THE CENTRAL PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT, UNDERSTANDS HONG KONG BETTER: UNDERSTANDS ITS SYSTEM; UNDERSTANDS THE WAY IT OPERATES; UNDERSTANDS THE WAY IN WHICH WE ARE TRYING ΤΟ PLAN LONG TERM FOR THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG. EQUALLY, I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT AND THIS TOO MATTERS BOTH NOW AND FOR THE FUTURE, THAT THERE SHOULD BE

IN HONG KONG A GOVERNMENT WHICH IS EFFECTIVE AND ACTIVE; WHICH TAKES DECISIONS AND IS SEEN TO BE THE SOURCE OF THOSE DECISIONS. THAT IS WHAT YOU NEED IF HONG KONG IS GOING TO BE A PROSPEROUS, DYNAMIC, ECONOMIC COMMUNITY. ONLY IF HONG KONG IS PROSPEROUS AND DYNAMIC, WILL IT BE SUCCESSFUL NOW TO THE BENEFIT OF ITS OWN CITIZENS; ONLY THEN WILL IT BE SUCCESSFUL POST-97; ONLY THEN WILL IT BE HELPFUL ΤΟ THE WHOLE PROCESS OF ECONOMIC MODERNIZATION IN CHINA. TOO IS SOMETHING WHICH IS IN EVERYBODY'S INTEREST.

SO,

THAT

/IN REACHING