XN000022-1992-03-23 — Page 9

MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1992

GOVERNOR:

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HAVE IT'S

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NOT,

THE

ARE

OF

AND

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I THINK PROBABLY WHAT THE MAYOR OF SHENZHEN MUST BEEN TALKING ABOUT WAS THINGS LIKE OPENING HOURS AT THE BORDER ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I TALKED TO HIM ABOUT WHEN I WAS THERE ON OUR SIDE ANYHOW, ABOUT LIBERALISING CUSTOMS MEASURES. I CAN MAKE A GENERAL POINT ON THAT, AND I THINK IT GETS ON TO YOUR LAST POINT AS WELL, AND THAT IS, WE HAVE GOT TO KEEP SOME SORT OF CHECKS ON BORDER, PARTICULARLY AT THE MOMENT. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WE DEALING WITH IS A LOT OF SMUGGLING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. SMUGGLING HONG KONG GOODS INTO CHINA, SMUGGLING BACK OF THINGS LIKE WEAPONS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, SO WE HAVE GOT TO KEEP ADEQUATE CHECKS AND IN LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE CUSTOMS REGIMES, WHICH ARE NOT ONEROUS ON OUR SIDE AFTERALL, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE'VE STILL GOT THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THOSE CHECKS. POST-1997, I THINK THOSE THINGS ALSO APPLY. BUT POST-1997,

AREA AFTER ALL, HONG KONG WILL BE ITS OWN CUSTOMS THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS LAID DOWN IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. SO THERE MUST BE A CUSTOMS BARRIER BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE SHENZHEN SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE, UNLESS FOR ANY REASON, THE SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE BECAME A COMPLETELY FREE TRADE AREA. BUT OTHERWISE, THERE MUST BE A CUSTOMS BORDER BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE. SO WHAT WE IN GENERAL, AS I SEE IT, WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS TRY TO FACILITATE TRAVEL BETWEEN HERE AND THE MAINLAND OF CHINA, TRY TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS, BUT STILL MAINTAIN THE CHECKS WHICH WE NEED. NOW JUST GOING ON A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, SPEEDING UP THE WHOLE PROCESS, ONE OF THE THINGS I DISCUSSED WITH THE MAYOR OF SHENZHEN WAS THE USE OF THE VARIOUS BORDER CROSSING-POINTS. AT THE MOMENT, MAN KAM TO IS DESPERATELY OVERCROWDED WELL OVER 10,000, 11,000 VEHICLES A DAY; LOK MA CHAU IS UNDER-USED AND WE HAVE SUPERB FACILITIES THERE WHICH COULD BE USED MORE THAN THEY ARE AT THE MOMENT; SHA TAU KOK, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, 1S UNDER-USED BUT THEN THAT IS A LONG TREK ROUND; AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS SUGGESTING TO THE MAYOR OF SHENZHEN WAS THAT WE REALLY MUST TRY TO MAKE EFFORTS TO GET SOME OF THE TRAFFIC NOW GOING ACROSS AT MAN KAM TO, TO MOVE TO LOK MA CHAU, SO WE SPEED UP THE WHOLE PROCESS.

QUESTION:

WE ARE FAST GETTING TO THE POSITION IN HONG KONG WHERE THE STRONGEST POLITICAL PARTY IS THE UNITED DEMOCRATS AND YET BEIJING REFUSES ΤΟ HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT POLITICAL PARTY. DO YOU THINK THAT BODES RATHER ILL FOR HONG KONG'S FUTURE?

GOVERNOR:

SOMETHING WHICH I HAVE TALKED TO CHINESE LEADERS ABOUT, AND I KNOW OTHERS HAVE AS WELL, IS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO HAVE GREATER CONTACT WITH MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, AND THAT APPLIES TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THERE ARE, AS WE ALL KNOW, INHIBITIONS AT THE MOMENT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THOSE OVERCOME BECAUSE ALL THOSE PEOPLE IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, WHICHEVER PARTY, WHICHEVER GROUP THEY COME FROM. THEY ALL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ROLE TO PLAY NOW IN HONG KONG, AND WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ROLE TO PLAY IN THE FUTURE. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CHINA TAKING A MORE FORWARD LOOKING APPROACH TO DEALING DIRECTLY WITH THOSE PEOPLE AND INDEED WITH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AS A WHOLE, AND I HOPE THAT GRADUALLY WE WILL BE ABLE TO PERSUADE PEOPLE IN CHINA THAT THAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

/QUESTION: