XN000022-1992-10-24 — Page 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1992

SPEECH BY GOVERNOR AT LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEETING TODAY

GOVERNOR:

I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO HONOURABLE MEMBERS FOR OPPORTUNITY TO BRIEF THE COUNCIL ON MY VISIT TO PEKING FROM THE

THIS

20TH

TO THE 23RD OF OCTOBER. THIS COUNCIL IS ENTITLED TO A PROMPT EARLY BRIEFING AFTER MY MAJOR VISITS ABROAD. IT'S A PRACTICE THAT HAS THE ITS CHRISTENING TODAY, BUT A PRACTICE WHICH I PLAN TO CONTINUE IN FUTURE.

AND

I HELD, IN ALL, SOME TEN HOURS OF TALKS ON THE 21ST AND 22ND OF OCTOBER WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS WITH MY HOST DIRECTOR LU PING. WITH VICE FOREIGN MINISTER JIANG ENZHU AND VICE MINISTER OF FOREIGN TRADE WANG WENDONG AND LASTLY, WITH FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN QICHEN. VICE MINISTER WANG AND I AGREED ON THE EXCELLENCE OF THE TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA. HONG KONG, AS YOU KNOW,

NOW ACCOUNTS FOR OVER 60% OF TOTAL FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN CHINA AND 36%

OF OF CHINA'S WORLDWIDE TRADE. CHINA ACCOUNTS FOR 32%

OUR WORLDWIDE TRADE. DESPITE THE MAGNITUDE OF OUR TRADE IT IS IN OUR ECONOMIC RELATIONS THAT WE HAVE FEWEST PROBLEMS. INDEED, I EMPHASISED THAT I INTENDED TO LOBBY HARD AGAINST ANY MOVES IN FUTURE TO REMOVE MFN

IS THAT STATUS FOR CHINA AS WILL THE UNITED KINGDOM GOVERNMENT. IMPORTANT FOR HONG KONG AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR CHINA.

WITH VICE MINISTER JIANG I DISCUSSED JLG ISSUES AND THE MAIN SECURITY MATTERS, AS WELL AS MY CONSTITUTIONAL PROPOSALS. MATTERS COVERED ON THE JLG AGENDA WERE DEFENCE LANDS, AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS AND RIGHT OF ABODE. NO NEW AGREEMENTS WERE REACHED BUT BOTH SIDES EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP WOULD MAINTAIN

IN MEETING GOOD RATE OF PROGRESS ACHIEVED AT THE LAST SEPTEMBER.

THE

THIS COUNCIL ATTACHES, AND VERY UNDERSTANDABLY So, THAT PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE TO TACKLING CROSS-BORDER CRIME. SO DO I. IS WHY I PUT FORWARD FOUR PROPOSALS IN PEKING TO IMPROVE CO-OPERATION ON SECURITY MATTERS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND GUANGDONG, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAVE UNDERTAKEN TO CONSIDER THEM. I PROPOSED, FIRST, ORDINATED OPERATIONS AGAINST SMUGGLING. THERE HAVE BEEN A OPERATIONS IN THE PAST, WE NEED MORE IN FUTURE.

SECOND,

CO-

FEW

SUCH

OF

BETTER COMMUNICATION AND SHARING INTELLIGENCE BETWEEN THE SECURITY FORCES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BORDER. IN PARTICULAR, I EMPHASISED THE NEED FOR THE CHINESE SIDE TO US WHEN

HONG THEY SUSPECTED THAT SHIPS SETTING OUT FROM ENGAGED IN SMUGGLING. WE ARE COMMITTED TO CO-OPERATE SMUGGLING, BUT EQUALLY, WE ARE ENTITLED TO BE CLEAR TRADE IS NOT BEING ILLEGALLY INTERFERED WITH.

INFORM WERE KONG TOGETHER TO BEAT THAT LEGITIMATE

CONCERT WITH

SUSTAINED ACTION BY GUANGDONG IN THIRD, HONG KONG AGAINST SMUGGLING. PERIODIC CRACKDOWNS ARE NOT ENOUGH. AND, FOURTH, EARLY AGREEMENT ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY HONG KONG AND GUANGDONG WATERS. THIS COULD THEN BE MARKED WITH SO AS TO REDUCE THE INCIDENTS OF INADVERTENT INCURSIONS.

BETWEEN

BUOYS

/WITH DIRECTOR