XN000022-1993-04-06 — Page 13

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TUESDAY, APRIL 6, 1993

QUESTIONS AND ANSWEARB

PROFESSOR MARTIN: Ladies and gentlemen, we have almost

half an hour for your questions and discussion. The Governor has said that he would prefer to do this standing.

JACK THOMPSON (BBC World Service Television News): A9

I am sure you are well aware, on 2 April the Chinese language newspaper in Hong Kong, Sing Pao, reported from Bejing remarks made by the CCP General Secretary, Jiang Zernin:

'If the situation between Britain and China continues,

the Joint Declaration will actually be discarded by

Britain and will no more be binding on the two

countries. To safeguard China's sovreignty and to

protect Hong Kong's compatriots' interests, we have

the power to take decisive measures to take over Hong Kong ahead of schedule when necessary."

My rather plain question to those rather ominous remarks is: how

do. you construe them?

CHRIS PATTEN: I have heard a lot of things said in the

last few months and some of them might have been better not said.

But overall, I have noticed again and again Chinese officials

saying that they would abide by the Joint Declaration, as I would

expect, given that it is in effect a binding treaty between

Britain and China. I have heard them say that they have no

question of attempting to resume sovreignty before 1997, I have

heard them underlining their commitment to co-operation in order

to guarantee the the well-being, the livelihood and the standard