XN000022-1992-07-10 — Page 3

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FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1992.

QUESTION: MR PATTEN, KEVIN LAU FROM HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL. ON BECOMING THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, WILL YOU TAKE UP

THE DIFFICULT TASK OF AIRPORT NEGOTIATIONS WITH CHINA? AND FOR THAT PURPOSE WILL YOU BE VISITING CHINA VERY SOON?

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: COULD YOU PLEASE REPEAT THE QUESTION?

NEGOTIATIONS

THE GOVERNOR: THE QUESTION IS: WILL I BE TAKING UP THE ON THE AIRPORT WITH CHINA, AND WILL I BE VISITING CHINA SOON?

THERE IS, AS I THINK YOU KNOW, AN EARLY MEETING OF THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE TO TRY TO TAKE FORWARD THE USEFUL DISCUSSIONS THAT WERE HELD LAST WEEK AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS WEEK IN PEKING ON THE AIRPORT, IT IS IN ALL OUR INTERESTS THAT WE MAKE PROGRESS AS SOON AS WE CAN ON THE AIRPORT. TO ALLOW THINGS TO SLIP ISN'T A COST-FREE OPTION. IT'S IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG, AS I SAID YESTERDAY, AND IN THE INTERESTS OF CHINA THAT WE GET AHEAD AND BUILD THE AIRPORT AND THE ASSOCIATED PROJECTS AS SOON AS WE CAN. BUT I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BECOME TOO EXCITABLE ABOUT IT, WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS TO HAVE AGREEMENTS THAT WORK AND ALLOW US TO MOVE FORWARD STEADILY AS SOON AS THAT IS POSSIBLE.

I OBVIOUSLY WANT TO TALK TO MY COLLEAGUES ON THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND TO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHEN IT WOULD BE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO VISIT THE PRC. I WANT ΤΟ HAVE GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OFFICIALS IN THE PRC AND WILL OF COURSE VISIT THE PRC WHEN IT SEEMS SUITABLE. BUT I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT THE AIRPORT COMMITTEE WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE MATTERS FORWARD HELPFULLY IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

QUESTION:

(INDISTINCT)

THE GOVERNOR: DO I AGREE WITH LEE KWAN YEW'S VIEWS ON HONG KONG'S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA? I'M NOT GOING TO REPHRASE THE WHOLE OF THE QUESTION, I HEARD IT AND YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS.

I HAD VERY HELPFUL DISCUSSIONS WITH LEE KWAN YEW IN SINGAPORE. I MET HIM ON TWO OCCASIONS AND HOPE THAT I'LL BE ABLE TO SEE HIM AGAIN FREQUENTLY IN THE FUTURE. HE HAS MANY EXTREMELY INTERESTING AND THOUGHTFUL VIEWS ON THE WHOLE REGION, NOT JUST ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND HONG KONG OR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA, I DON'T THINK IT'S POSSIBLE ΤΟ MAKE A COMPLETE DISTINCTION BETWEEN ECONOMICS AND POLITICS. WE'VE OF COURSE COMMITTED OURSELVES TO SECURING THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG. AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, I THINK THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG HELP THEMSELVES TO SECURE THE LIFE-STYLE AND WAY OF LIFE OF HONG KONG, AND EQUALLY, THE WAY OF LIFE OF HONG KONG HELPS TO UNDERPIN ITS STABILITY AND PROSPERITY, SO I THINK THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THOSE TWO ISSUES AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO DISCUSSING BOTH ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL MATTERS WITH BUSINESS LEADERS AND POLITICAL LEADERS THE COMMUNITY IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.

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QUESTION: ADRIAN BROWN OF SKY NEWS. A LOT OF WHAT YOU SAID YESTERDAY AND WHAT YOU'VE SAID IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS, THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG HAVE HEARD BEFORE. WHAT DIFFERENCE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE TO ORDINARY PEOPLE'S LIVES

/THE GOVERNOR: