XN000022-1993-05-03 — Page 2

GOVERNOR MEETS U.S. PRESIDENT

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MONDAY, MAY 3, 1993

FOLLOWING ARE THE REMARKS BY THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, FOLLOWING HIS MEETING WITH U.S. PRESIDENT MR BILL CLINTON IN WASHINGTON, DC ON MONDAY (U.S. TIME):

GOVERNOR: GOOD MORNING.

QUESTION: HOW WAS YOUR MEETING, SIR?

GOVERNOR: I'VE HAD A VERY GOOD MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT, DURING WHICH I WAS ABLE TO SET OUT THE CASE THAT WE FEEL VERY STRONGLY FOR, MFN RENEWAL. I POINTED OUT THE VERY STRONG ECONOMIC AND TRADING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE UNITED STATES, AND POINTED OUT THAT CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES WERE OUR TWO MOST IMPORTANT TRADING PARTNERS, AND THEREFORE THAT WE WOULD INEVITABLY BE AFFECTED BY ANY END OF MFN, OR SEVERE CONSTRAINT ON MFN.

THE PRESIDENT IS UNDERSTANDING. HE SHOWED A GREAT KNOWLEDGE OF HONG KONG AND ITS POSITION. HE'S VISITED, I THINK, HONG KONG A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THE PAST, APPRECIATES OUR PROBLEMS, AND LISTENED INTENTLY AND ASKED A NUMBER OF, AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT I'D BEEN SAYING.

QUESTION: DID HE SAY WHETHER

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GOVERNOR: IT WAS A VERY GOOD AND HELPFUL MEETING, AND I THINK UNLINED SOMETHING THAT I FEEL VERY STRONGLY, THAT ONE OF THE IMPORTANT FACTORS IN HONG KONG'S LONG-TERM PROSPERITY AND STABILITY IS A GOOD AND CLOSE AND UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES.

QUESTION: IS HE GOING TO PUT ANY MORE PRESSURE ON CHINA BEFORE RENEWING MFN?

GOVERNOR: I THINK THAT ON OCCASIONS LIKE THIS IT'S ALWAYS UNFORTUNATE IF ONE PARTY TO A MEETING EXPLAINS WHAT THE OTHER SIDE HAS BEEN SAYING. IT'S FOR THE WHITE HOUSE TO SAY WHAT THE POLICY OF THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN. ALL I WANT TO SAY IS THE PRESIDENT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE COURTEOUS OR UNDERSTANDING THAN HE WAS IN OUR DISCUSSION, AND I WAS VERY GRATEFUL FOR HIS TIME.

QUESTION: DID YOU GET ANY IMPRESSION THAT THERE WILL BE SOME CONDITIONS, AND CAN HONG KONG LIVE WITH SOME MFN CONDITIONS?

/GOVERNOR: