XN000022-1991-12-31 — Page 7

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1991

I

SIR DAVID: I DIDN'T HEAR THE PARTICULAR INTERVIEW MYSELF, SO

THE TYPE OF GOVERNOR WHO WON'T COMMENT ON WHAT WAS ACTUALLY SAID.

OF COMES TO HONG KONG - IN A WAY THAT IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN THE SORT ISSUES THAT THE GOVERNOR WILL FACE - AND ANY GOVERNOR, WHOEVER IT IS, WILL FACE THE SAME SORT OF ISSUES AND I THINK WILL FACE THE SAME TO HAVE STABLE POLICIES IN HONG KONG, STEADY EVOLUTION IN HONG THOSE ARE THE THINGS WHICH I BELIEVE ARE CRUCIAL FOR HONG KONG.

CHINA?

QUESTION: DO YOU AGREE THAT A TOUGH GUY CAN

NERD

KONG,

GET MORE FROM

BE

HONG SIR DAVID: DEALING WITH CHINA IS ENORMOUSLY IMPORTANT FOR

IS ENORMOUSLY KONG AND THAT RELATIONSHIP, AS I WAS SAYING JUST NOW,

CAN PRODUCE SIMPLE IMPORTANT. I DON'T, MYSELF, BELIEVE THAT YOU

IS GOING ΤΟ ANSWERS AND SAY ONE PARTICULAR WAY OF APPROACHING IT

THAT JUST PRODUCE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT RESULTS FROM ANOTHER WAY. ISN'T THE CASE, THERE ARE CERTAIN BASIC FACTS THERE WHICH HAVE TO HANDLED. I BELIEVE THEY HAVE TO BE HANDLED WITH GREAT CARE, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE BASIC PROBLEMS ARE, TRYING TO PUT ACROSS TO CHINA WHAT HONG KONG'S NEEDS ARE, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, TOO, WHERE CHINA HAS OF ITS OWN ISSUES AND PROBLEMS IT HAS TO FACE; BUILDING UP THAT SORT AN UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIP, I THINK THAT'S THE CRUCIAL THING.

QUESTION: SIR DAVID, DURING THE EVENTS OF JUNE THE 4TH YOU TOOK

SLIGHTEST. VERY DIFFICULT THAT I THINGS

THE SORT OF HONG KONG REMAINED THINK WERE

A VERY BOLD STAND. DO YOU, WITH HINDSIGHT, REGRET THAT STAND?

SIR DAVID: NO, I DON'T AT ALL. NO, I DON'T IN THE JUNE THE 4TH, OR THE WHOLE PERIOD OF MAY-JUNE, WAS A PERIOD HERE IN HONG KONG. I DON'T REGRET THE SORT OF SAID THEN, I BELIEVED THEM, I STILL DO BELIEVE THEM. MEASURES THAT WE TOOK TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT STABLE, THAT IT LOOKED TO THE LONG-TERM FUTURE, THOSE I

REGRET THEM. ABSOLUTELY RIGHT AND I CERTAINLY WOULDN'T TRYING,

YOU REMEMBER RIGHTLY, IN 1989, TO LOOK FORWARD, THAT ALTHOUGH DRAMATIC AND TERRIBLE EVENTS WERE HAPPENING IN PEKING AT THAT TIME, WE WERE NOT SIMPLY GOING TO GIVE UP IN HONG KONG, WE WERE

WAS THAT, I BELIEVE GOING TO LOOK TO THE LONGER TERM FUTURE. AND I DON'T REGRET THAT AT ALL.

WE WERE ΤΟ SHOW

RIGHT

QUESTION: A LOT OF PROBLEMS CAME OUT OF JUNE 4TH INCLUDING

THE NATIONALITY ACCUSATION THAT HONG KONG IS SUBVERSIVE, INCLUDING

A PACKAGE, INCLUDING YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT TO LEGCO OF THE NEW AIRPORT -

YOU DO YOU THINK

WOULD HAVE LOT OF PROBLEMS STEM FROM THAT DATE HANDLED IT DIFFERENTLY?

THE

STR DAVID: WHAT, IF I COULD LOOK BACK THROUGH THE YEARS AHEAD?

QUESTION: YES, INDEED.

/SIR DAVID: