XN000022-1991-10-09 — Page 8

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1991

THE GOVERNOR SAID HE EXPECTED THAT THE YEAR AHEAD WOULD SEE THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP FUNCTIONING WITH A NEW PURPOSE.

IMPETUS

AND SENSE

OF

DURING THE PRIME MINISTER'S TALKS IN PEKING, IT WAS AGREED THAT THE

WORK SHOULD BE SPEEDED UP AND GROUP'S

ALL

RESOURCES NECESSARY GIVEN TO IT, SO THAT THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR THE POST-1997 SYSTEM FIRMLY IN PLACE BY THAT YEAR.

SAID THE

GROUP SHOULD NOW BE

IN A SIR DAVID

POSITION FUNCTION MORE EFFICIENTLY AND MORE QUICKLY THAN HAD BEEN POSSIBLE THE RECENT PAST.

ARE

TO

IN

THOSE

"I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THIS WILL ENABLE IT TO RESOLVE ISSUES WHICH ARE STILL OUTSTANDING BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES," HE SAID.

WITH THE APPROACH OF 1997, THE NEED FOR CLOSER CONSULTATION AND CO-OPERATION WITH CHINA WOULD INCREASE.

WOULD MEET FROM NOW ON, SIR DAVID SAID THE FOREIGN SECRETARY WITH THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER ON A REGULAR SIX-MONTHLY BASIS.

THESE MEETINGS WOULD GIVE ADDITIONAL IMPETUS TO THE WORK NEEDED TO BE DONE BEFORE 1997.

THAT

"I MYSELF LOOK FORWARD TO REGULAR MEETINGS WITH THE DIRECTOR OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAL AFFAIRS OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL," HE SAID.

WITH SENIOR HE HOPED THAT THESE FREQUENT, DIRECT CONTACTS

WITH IMPORTANT CHINESE LEADERS WOULD ENABLE THE GOVERNMENT TO DEAL ISSUES IN A MORE SPEEDY WAY THAN HAD SOMETIMES BEEN THE CASE PAST.

IN THE

PRACTICAL "I

ΤΟ INTEND

ENSURE

AND MORE THAT THIS CLOSER

THAT RELATIONSHIP IS REFLECTED ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT, SO

WITH THEIR MORE AND MORE DEPARTMENTS DEVELOP WORKING LEVEL CONTACTS CHINESE COUNTERPARTS, * HE NOTED.

++

THE GOVERNOR ALSO SAID BOTH THE QUALITY AND THE QUANTITY OF THE GOVERNMENT'S WORKING CONTACTS WITH CHINA WERE ALREADY CHANGING FOR THE BETTER.

SO FAR THIS YEAR, ALMOST 100 GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS FROM HONG OVER 60 KONG RAD VISITED CHINA, ON A WIDE RANGE OF OFFICIAL BUSINESS. HAD COME IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.

THE

GOVERNMENT

HAD RECEIVED

A

SENIOR CHINESE MINISTERS OF HUBEI AND

OF NUMBER VISITORS, INCLUDING NR JI PENGFEJ AND MR LU PING, THE FINANCE AND ENERGY, AND THE GOVERNORS OF THE PROVINCES OF JIANGSU,

"

"THIS TREND WILL, I HOPE, CONTINUE,

HE SAID.

SIR DAVID WITH THE

→

IT WAS NOT JUST THESE HIGH LEVEL VISITS THAT MATTER,

CONTACTS NATURAL CONTACTS ACROSS THE BOARD THAT NEIGHBOUR WERE VITAL.

ADDED

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