XN000022-1992-12-01 — Page 11

10

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1992

GOVERNOR:

I

OF

AND THE

HAS

SEE

SAYING IS THAT THAT

THIS IS A SUBJECT WHICH I'VE BEGUN TO DISCUSS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY. I TOUCHED ON IT BRIEFLY WITH MY BUSINESS COUNCIL AT ITS FIRST MEETING. DISCUSSED IT BRIEFLY WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AMERICAN CHAMBER COMMERCE YESTERDAY. I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO VISIT WASHINGTON UNITED STATES

ADMINISTRATION IN THE NEW YEAR, AS SOON AS A NEW

ΤΟ SHAKEN DOWN AND AS SOON AS A NEW ADMINISTRATION HAS THE TIME THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG IN THE GAPS AVAILABLE FROM CONFIRMATION HEARINGS AND SO ON. WHAT I WILL WANT TO SAY, AND IT'S AN ARGUMENT THAT I THINK WILL BE ALL THE STRONGER IF I CAN BE SUPPORTED IN IT BY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN HONG KONG, THE POLITICISATION OF TRADE IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, DAMAGING. IT IS IN THE INTERESTS OF HONG KONG TO HAVE THE FREEST MOST TRADE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA, THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE TRADE FRICTION WOULD DO OTHER THAN UNDERMINE GROWTH, DESTROY JOBS PUT UP PRICES. THAT'S AN ARGUMENT THAT I WILL BE PUTTING AND I BE TRYING TO APPLY THE PRINCIPLES AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR HONG AND IN CONTACTS WITH A NEW US ADMINISTRATION. BUT I REPEAT THAT I'LL WANT

DISCUSS ΤΟ

WITH THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HOW WE CAN BEST CO- ORDINATE OUR ACTIVITIES. IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, WHEN WE PUT THOSE ARGUMENTS IN WASHINGTON AND ELSEWHERE, THAT WE HAVE AS MUCH CREDIBILITY AS POSSIBLE.

MR EDWARD

THAT

SIR, AS AN

ARCHITECT

OPEN

THAT

AND

WILL

KONG,

IT

WOULD

BE

SAID

HO: NEGLIGENT OF ME IF I DRAW UP A PLAN WITHOUT THINKING OF THE STRUCTURE. YOUR PROPOSAL IS A PLAN WHICH MAY BE BEAUTIFUL TO SOME PEOPLE, BUT IT BECOME LACKS STRUCTURE, THE STRUCTURE BEING THE BASIC LAW WHICH IS TO EFFECTIVE AFTER 1997. AND I THINK THAT YOU HAVE NOT EMPHASISED THIS POINT TO BOTH THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND TO THE WESTERN COMMUNITY,

HAVE OF COURSE, YOU IS, THE EXISTENCE OF THE BASIC LAW,

IF IT IS So, YOUR PROPOSALS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE BASIC LAW. THAT THEN THERE IS NO PROBLEM OF CONVERGENCE. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, GOVERNMENT MEMBERS IN THIS COUNCIL HAVE VOTED AGAINST AN AMENDMENT. MISS CHRISTINE LOH'S MOTION WHICH BROUGHT IN THE ELEMENT

HAS IN OTHER WORDS, GOVERNMENT BY ITS VOTE,

INDICATED THAT CONVERGENCE IS NOT AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT. I WOULD HOPE THAT CAN CLARIFY THAT.

CONVERGENCE.

то

OF

YOU

GOVERNOR:

-

—

WHERE

AND I'LL DO MY

I'D BE DELIGHTED TO CLARIFY THAT PERHAPS OTHER HONOURABLE MEMBERS WILL EXCUSE ME IF I DO THIS THE

IF CLARIFICATION

THE HONOURABLE MEMBER WILL TELL PROPOSALS BREACH THE BASIC LAW.

ME

I THINK

EDWARD HO:

I THINK SIR, I DON'T WANT TO OPEN A DEBATE. IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME TO DEBATE WHERE THE BASIC LAW AND YOUR PROPOSAL WOULD OR WOULD NOT BE CONSISTENT. MY POINT IS IF YOU THINK THAT IT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE BASIC LAW THEN YOU CAN SUPPORT CONVERGENCE. WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT GOVERNMENT DID NOT SUPPORT CONVERGENCE BECAUSE WHEN CHIM PHJ-CHUNG PUT UP AN AMENDMENT то MISS CHRISTINE LOR'S MOTION ALL. HE BROUGHT IN WAS THE ELEMENT OF CONVERGENCE AND GOVERNMENT MEMBERS WERE AGAINST IT.

/GOVERNOR: I