XN000022-1992-10-07 — Page 2

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1992

PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY THE GOVERNOR

THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN AFTER HIS POLICY SPEECH TO LEGCO

ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1992

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FOR

GOVERNOR: THE PRESS CONFERENCE TODAY WILL BE QUITE A SHORT ONE, SEVERAL REASONS. FIRST OF ALL BECAUSE THERE IS GOING TO BE NO SHORTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES OF ASKING ME QUESTIONS OVER MY SPEECH OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I'VE GOT AN HOUR-AND-A-HALF SESSION WITH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TOMORROW, AND THEN I'VE GOT PUBLIC MEETINGS ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY EVENINGS, AND ANOTHER PUBLIC MEETING ON FRIDAY LUNCHTIME WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE GOOD AT MARATHONS, THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO HEAR MY ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ON SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT MAY CONCEIVABLY ARISE AS A RESULT OF THE SPEECH THAT I'VE JUST GIVEN. SO THAT IS JUST A FRIENDLY INDICATION THAT I WILL ONLY BE ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOR 20-25 MINUTES, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

WHO WOULD LIKE TO START? PERHAPS IF WE COULD HAVE THE NORMAL RULES: IF YOU COULD JUST GIVE YOUR NAME AND NEWSPAPER OR TELEVISION STATION OR RADIO STATION AND THEN ASK ONE QUESTION, BECAUSE IT'S ONLY FAIR ON THE OTHERS.

YAU SING-MO (HK ECONOMIC TIMES): IF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT OBJECTS TO THE PROPOSED CHANGES OUTLINED IN YOUR SPEECH, FOR EXAMPLE WITH RESPECT TO THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES AND THE CREATION OF A NEW ELECTORAL COLLEGE, WILL YOU GO AHEAD ELECTORALLY AND REGARDLESS OF CHINESE OBJECTIONS?

GOVERNOR: I THINK, INEVITABLY, AFTER ONE HAS MADE A SPEECH SETTING OUT PROPOSALS FOR DISCUSSION, LARGE NUMBERS OF THE QUESTIONS ARE HYPOTHETICAL. BUT THE FIRST LESSON I WAS TAUGHT WHEN I GOT INVOLVED IN POLITICS WAS NOT TO ANSWER HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS. WHAT I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING IS DISCUSSING MY SPEECH, AND OTHER MATTERS, WITH MR LU PING AND OTHER CHINESE OFFICIALS. I ALSO LOOK FORWARD ΤΟ DISCUSSING MY SPEECH WITH MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AND MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT I HAVE THEIR THOUGHTS ON IT AS WELL AS THE THOUGHTS OF CHINESE OFFICIALS. IN COURSE, WHAT THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG WILL OF COURSE BE REQUIRED DO IS TO PRESENT LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS TO LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THAT IS, AS IT WERE, THE END-GAME IN PARTICULAR DISCUSSION AND I'M SURE THAT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNOR, WILL TAKE ACCOUNT OF EVERYONE'S POINT OF VIEW WHEN COME TO A CONCLUSION ON THE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS FOR 1995.

ALICE LAI (MING PAO): IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IN YOUR POLICY SPEECH SELDOM MENTIONED THE SINO-HONG KONG RELATIONSHIP BUT WHEN YOU FIRST IN HONG KONG YOU SAID THAT THE SINO-HONG KONG RELATIONSHIP BE THE TOP PRIORITY. IS THERE ANY CHANGE IN YOUR PRIORITIES AND IS THE RATIONALE BEHIND THAT?

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/GOVERNOR: THERE