XN000022-1992-12-01 — Page 13

12

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1992

I WAS SURPRISED BY THE

OR

GOVERNOR:

WELL,

REMARKS OF THE VICE DIRECTOR OF THE NCNA SINCE THEY SEEMED TO OVERLOOK THE FACT THAT THE JOINT DECLARATION WAS SIGNED BY THE UNITED KINGDOM AS WELL AS CHINA, AND WAS AN EXPLICIT AFFIRMATION OF OUR CONTINUING CONCERN FOR FIFTY YEARS FOR THE SYSTEM IN HONG KONG WHICH IS PART OF ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS. AS I'VE SAID ON OTHER OCCASIONS, NOT ONE COUNTRY ONE-AND-A- HALF SYSTEMS, OR ONE COUNTRY ONE-AND-A-QUARTER SYSTEMS BUT ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS. OUR WAY OF LIFE IN HONG KONG, OUR PROSPERITY AND STABILITY AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THOSE THINGS AND THE FREEDOMS THAT WE CHERISH, WHETHER FREEDOM OF SPEECH OR FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY OTHER SORTS OF FREEDOM, THOSE THINGS ARE SET OUT

IN THE GREATEST DETAIL IN THE JOINT DECLARATION. THEY WERE PART OF AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA AND AN AGREEMENT WHICH IS BINDING FOR FIFTY YEARS. SO,

I REALLY CAN'T UNDERSTAND HOW ANYBODY CAN SAY THAT OUR INTEREST IN, OR COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG ENDS ON THE 30TH OF JUNE 1997, WHEN THE 28TH BRITISH GOVERNOR TAKES HIS LEAVE. THE BEST WAY, OR ONE OF THE BEST WAYS IN MY JUDGEMENT IN WHICH WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE DISCHARGE THAT RESPONSIBILITY IS BY GOVERNING HONG KONG IN THE NEXT 4-1/2 YEARS AS WELL AS POSSIBLE. AND, BY TRYING TO ENSURE THERE ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE IN HONG KONG, ARRANGEMENTS WHICH ARE IN WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION AND THE BASIC LAW, ARRANGEMENTS WHICH TO SECURE HONG KONG'S WAY OF LIFE AFTER 1997, BECAUSE UNLESS PREPARED TO TRY TO SECURE HONG KONG'S WAY OF LIFE AFTER 1997 BEFORE 1997,

IT IS RATHER GOING TO BE RATHER MORE DIFFICULT TO DO SO AFTER 1997.

•

WE

ARE

LINE

HELP

ARE

SIMON IP:

GOVERNOR, WHEN YOU CAME ΤΟ HONG KONG, IN YOUR INAUGURAL SPEECH YOU SAID THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT TASK YOU HAVE TO FACE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS IS TO BUILD TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING WITH CHINA. CLEARLY, TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING ARE TWO COMMODITIES WHICH ARE IN VERY SHORT SUPPLY AT THE MOMENT AND WE'VE SEEN A VERY GREAT DETERIORATION OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND HONG KONG AND CHINA AND BRITAIN. HOW Do YOU AIM TO RESTORE OR BUILD TRUST UNDERSTANDING AND, ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE TRUST

UNDERSTANDING FOR YOUR POLITICAL REFORM PACKAGE?

AND

AND

TO

DIFFICULT

REGARDED AS

GOVERNOR:

I SUSPECT THAT IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE AGREE ON ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE 1995 ELECTIONS WHICH WERE WIDELY ACCEPTABLE TO PEKING, TO LONDON AND TO HONG KONG. I SUSPECT IF THERE HADN'T BEEN A PROBLEM IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TACKLED SUCCESSFULLY AND BEFORE JULY THIS YEAR. WHAT' I DON'T THINK WOULD BE AN ACCEPTABLE BASIS FOR TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING WITH ANYONE WAS IF THE PRICE THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG HAD ΤΟ PAY WAS SACRIFICING THE TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING OF TRE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WHAT I HAVE TO SLEL TO DO IS TO RECONCILE THE TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WITH A BETTER WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH PERING AND CHINESE OFFICIALS AND I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT AS WE MOVE THROUGH THESE PERHAPS INEVITABLY CHOPPY WATERS WE'LL FIND THAT THERE IS SMOOTHER SAILING THE OTHER SIDE, BUT UNLESS ONE WAS TO RUN THE RISK OF SACRIFICING TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING IN HONG KONG I SUSPECT THAT ONE WAS GOING TO FIND ONESELF WITH AN ARGUMENT SIMILAR TO THIS SOME TINE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS WHENEVER ONE ADDRESSED THE PROBLEM OF HOW BEST TO ORGANISE THE 1995 ELECTIONS.

/HOWARD YOUNG: