XN000022-1993-05-04 — Page 34

20

TUESDAY, MAY 4, 1993

In Hong Kong, our task has been very different.

Our task has been to prepare for the resumption of Chinese

sovereignty in 1997. There have been occasions in the

1940's and the 1950's, for example, when we considered

introducing, as we had in other dependent territories, democratic structures, and those proposals were always resisted very strongly by China, which feared that if we introduced democratic structures at that stage into Hong Kong it might lead to Hong Kong wishing for independence rather than the resumption of Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

However, when it came to discussing with China,

to agreeing with China, the mechanism for the transfer of

sovereignty in 1997, we agreed a slow and steady path to

democracy. That agreement was set out in the joint declaration in the mid-1980's, and that declaration also

bound us both in treaty form to safeguard Hong Kong's way

of life and Hong Kong's freedoms for 50 years after 1997.

What we attempted to do in that joint

declaration was to safeguard the concept, the historic

concept expressed by Deng Xiaping. He said that what he

wanted was one country with two systems, Hong Kong system, not just the capitalist allocation of resources, but the freedoms and the values of an open society, all set out

specifically and in terms in that joint declaration.

The present argument that we've been having with

China is about how we can best secure one country, two

systems, and, if you like, it's about whether we're

talking about one country, two systems, or one country,

one-and-a-half systems, or one country, one-and-a-bit

systems.

/We're absolutely