XN000022-1993-05-08 — Page 3

SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1993

AN

TWO OF THE MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GOVERNOR'S TWO-DAY VISIT YORK NEW

OCCURRED ON FRIDAY WHEN HE ATTENDED

EDITORIAL MEETING OF THE NEW YORK TIMES AND APPEARED ON CNN INTERNATIONAL WHERE HE WAS INTERVIEWED BY HILARY BOWKER FROM LONDON.

TO

BOARD HOUR,

PRESS

THE GOVERNOR WRAPPED UP HIS VISIT WITH BRIEFING

THE NEARLY

FOR NEW YORK-BASED MEDIA AND THE REPORTERS TRAVELLED WITH HIM FROM HONG KONG.

WHO

ONE-HOUR HAVE

GOVERNOR'S SPEECH TO COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS IN NEW YORK

FOLLOWING IS THE SPEECH BY THE GOVERNOR, THE RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN TO THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS IN NEW YORK ON FRIDAY (U.S. TIME):

DICK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

THE FIRST TIME I AM EVER SPOKE AS A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT TO A ROTARY CLUB IN MY CONSTITUENCY I REMEMBER SAYING TO THE PRESIDENT AS WE WENT INTO LUNCH, HOW LONG WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO SPEAK FOR. AND HE SAID WELL, HE SAID, YOU GO ON AS LONG AS YOU LIKE, BUT WE ALL LEAVE AT TWO FIFTEEN.

THE

AND I UNDERSTAND I'M UNDER A SIMILAR CONSTRAINT TODAY. FACT, IN ADDITION THAT MY REMARKS ARE ON THE RECORD BUT Q&A IS OFF THE RECORD, SUGGESTS TO ME THAT IT WOULD BE MORE INTERESTING FOR ALL OF YOU IF I KEPT THE ON-THE-RECORD BIT AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE.

AND TRY TO GET THROUGH THAT IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES. AND THEN YOU CAN HEAR THE TRUTH. THOUGH I HAVE TO SAY THAT ON THE WHOLE, I'VE RUINED MY CHANCES THROUGH LIFE BY SAYING MUCH THE SAME IN PUBLIC THAT I SAY IN PRIVATE. THE MAIN PURPOSE OF MY VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES THIS WEEK, APART FROM BUYING SOME BOOKS AND CD'S, THE MAIN PURPOSE WAS OBVIOUSLY TO BE HERE AT THE MOMENT WHEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICY ON CHINA AND TRADE AND MPN WAS AT THE CUSP, THE MAIN PURPOSE WAS FOR ME TO TRY TO PUT ACROSS HONG KONG'S POINT OF VIEW IN THE MFN DEBATE SO THAT THAT WAS TAKEN ACCOUNT OF BY THOSE WHO ARE SHAPING POLICY.

A POLICY WHICH I ASSUME IS LIKELY TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THAT PURSUED BY THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION. WHETHER ONE THINKS THAT IS A CORRECT CHANGE OR NOT. FOR US IN HONG KONG, AND I WILL PUT THE POINT VERY SIMPLY, FOR US IN HONG KONG, THE ISSUE MATTERS ENORMOUSLY. WE ARE THE SWING DOOR BETWEEN THE CHINESE ECONOMY AND THE REST OF THE WORLD.

OUR TWO BIGGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT TRADING PARTNERS ARE CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES. AND THERE IS NO CONCEIVABLE WAY TO BE FRANK, IN WHICH YOU COULD END MFN OR SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTAIN MEN WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON HONG KONG'S ECONOMY. WHERE BOTH THE MAIN ROUTE FOR INVESTMENT INTO CHINA AND INTO GUANGDONG, 70 PER CENT OF THE EXTERNAL INVESTMENT INTO CHINA GOES THROUGH HONG KONG.

AND ONE OF THE MAIN ROUTES FOR CHINESE EXPORTS OUT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. SO CUT OFF OR LIMIT TRADE BETWEEN CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES AND YOU HIT HONG KONG AND MAKE THE PROBLEMS WHICH ANYWAY WE HAVE, IN THE RUN-UP TO 1997 MUCH MORE DIFFICULT.

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/THAT'S