XN000022-1991-07-04 — Page 18

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THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1991

GOVERNOR : I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS TALKING TO THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS CLUB RECENTLY, SAYING THAT I THOUGHT ONE OF OUR PROBLEMS WAS THAT; IT WAS MISTRUST AND MYTHOLOGY ON BOTH SIDES, I MEAN WE BOTH HAVE MYTHS ABOUT THE OTHER WHICH CREATE GREAT DIFFICULTIES - A HUGE HURDLE TO GET OVER. I THINK, AGAIN,

AGAIN, ONE NEEDS PATIENCE, CONSISTENT EFFORT TO TRY TO ESTABLISH BETTER CONTACT, THAT WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN VERY CAREFULLY THE SORT OF THINGS WE ARE DOING, THE SORT OF SOCIETY HONG KONG IS, THE WAY IT OPERATES. SOMETIMES TO US IT IS SELF-EVIDENT, YOU KNOW YOU FACE A PROBLEM AND IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS WHAT THE SOLUTION IS, IT'S QUITE OBVIOUS YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE A DECISION NEXT WEEK. THOSE THINGS DON'T LOOK SO OBVIOUS IN PEKING. SIMILARLY, I THINK ON THE CHINESE SIDE, IF THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE THE SUCCESS OF THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG, WHICH I AM SURE THEY WANT TO, THEY HAVE GOT TO DO A LOT OF THAT PATIENCE LEARNING AND UNDERSTANDING; MORE PEOPLE COMING HERE AND UNDERSTANDING HOW THIS VERY UNIQUE SOCIETY OPERATES BECAUSE WE ARE NOT LIKE THE REST OF CHINA,

HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY:

WHAT IS THE NEXT PROBLEM?

GOVERNOR: OH DEAR, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NEXT PROBLEM IS.

KEVIN LAU (HK ECONOMIC JOURNAL): SIR DAVID, COULD YOU ASSUME US THERE IS NO SECRET DEAL OR UNDISCLOSED TERMS AND CONDITIONS, APART FROM WHAT IS STATED IN THIS MEMORANDUM, BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES?

GOVERNOR: YES, I CAN.

KEVIN LAU: WILL THIS MEMORANDUM BE THE MODEL FOR RESOLVING OTHER ISSUES WHICH STRADDLE 1997 IN THE COMING SIX YEARS?

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GOVERNOR: THAT I DON'T KNOW. THERE MAY BE BITS OF THIS THE WAY IN WHICH CONSULTATION IS TO OPERATE THE QUICK RESPONSES THAT ARE REQUIRED - DECISIONS WHEN THEY ARE TAKEN HERE TAKE ACCOUNT OF CHINESE VIEWS: THOSE SORT OF THINGS MAY ACT AS A MODEL FOR OTHER MAJOR MATTERS WHICH STRADDLE 1997. BUT I WOULD DOUBT VERY MUCH MYSELF WHETHER WE WOULD GO THROUGH A WHOLE SERIES OF MEMORANDA ON DIFFERENT ITEMS, THAT WOULD BE A VERY TIME-CONSUMING BUSINESS.

KEVIN LAU: DO YOU THINK THIS AN EXTENSION OF THE JOINT- DECLARATION OF 1984?

GOVERNOR: AN EXTENSION OF THE JOINT-DECLARATION? NO, I DON'T THINK IT'S AN EXTENSION OF THE JOINT-DECLARATION, IT FITS WITHIN WHAT IS IN THE JOINT-DECLARATION.

MEGHAN COX (CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR RADIO): CAN YOU TELL US WHAT CAUSED THE BREAKTHROUGH? WHO GAVE-WAY ON WHAT ISSUES AT THE LAST MINUTE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN ?

/GOVERNOR: