XN000022-1993-05-13 — Page 10

THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1993

MR

MR

MRS SELINA CHOW (THROUGH INTERPRETER):

PRESIDENT, GOVERNOR, IN HONG KONG WE HEARD SOME REPORTS SAYING THAT WHEN THE GOVERNOR WAS IN THE UNITED STATES DURING THE COURSE OF LAST WEEK IT CAUSED A LOT OF - MEDIA MEMBERS WERE VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN YOUR ACTIVITY AND THAT'S WHY A LOT OF HONG KONG REPORTERS FOLLOWED YOU AROUND IN THE STATES AND WE HEARD SOME REPORTS SAYING THAT THERE WAS SOME UNFAIR TREATMENT FOR HONG KONG REPORTERS AND THEY HAVE INDEED LODGED A FORMAL COMPLAINT AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU THIS, MR GOVERNOR. HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS COMPLAINT FROM THE REPORTERS OF HONG KONG AND WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO PREVENT SIMILAR PROBLEMS FROM RECURRING BECAUSE, AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME SUCH COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE.

GOVERNOR:

THERE WAS ONE COMPLAINT BY ONE JOURNALIST FROM A COMMERCIAL RADIO STATION. THE COMPLAINT WAS WHOLLY UNFOUNDED AND IT HAS BEEN REJECTED WITH CONSIDERABLE FORCE BY THE ADMINISTRATION. THE PARTICULAR INCIDENT WAS ONE WHICH WAS WITNESSED BY MANY HONG KONG JOURNALISTS AND I DOUBT WHETHER THEY WOULD DISAGREE FROM THE ARGUMENTS THAT WE HAVE PUT FORWARD,

MR MARTIN BARROW:

GOVERNOR, DURING YOUR VISIT WERE YOU ABLE то RAISE THE NORMALISATION OF THE US/VIETNAM RELATIONS WHICH COULD BE 30 HELPFUL TO HONG KONG IN RESOLVING THE ISSUE OF VIETNAMESE MIGRANTS STRANDED HERE?

GOVERNOR:

IT'S

I DID RAISE THAT ISSUE WITH THE ADMINISTRATION. AN ISSUE ABOUT WHICH I KNOW THIS COMMUNITY FEELS STRONGLY AND I THINK WE FEEL STRONGLY FOR TWO REASONS. FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE OF OUR BELIEF THAT NORMALISATION OF RELATIONS, THE UNBLOCKING FOR EXAMPLE OF DEVELOPMENT BANK ASSISTANCE AND LOANS, WOULD MAKE - WOULD HELP THE VIETNAMESE ECONOMY AND MIGHT ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO ARE IN CAMPS IN HONG KONG TO RETURN TO VIETNAM. I DOUBT WHETHER ANY FAMILIES IN THE CHARGE OF THE UNHCR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ARE BEING OFFERED MORE GENEROUS TERMS OF

RESETTLEMENT, ARE BEING OFFERED MORE ASSISTANCE TO HOME. MORE MAY BE ENCOURAGED TO RETURN HOME IF THE VIETNAMESE WAS LOOKING IN BETTER SHAPE, THOUGH I HAVE TO SAY THAT FROM HEAR, IT IS IMPROVING RAPIDLY.

SECONDLY,

RETURN ECONOMY ALL I

STATES

OBVIOUSLY NORMALISATION OF TRADE BETWEEN THE UNITED AND VIETNAM WOULD HELP TO ADD ANOTHER ECONOMIC DYNAMO TO THIS REGION, GOOD FOR THE REGION AND GOOD FOR THE WORLD.

MRS MIRIAM LAU:

GOVERNOR, IN YOUR MAIN ADDRESS YOU HAVE TOLD US THAT YOU TOLD THE US GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS THAT HEAVILY QUALIFIED RENEWAL OF CHINA'S MFN STATUS WOULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO HONG KONG. Ι BELIEVE THAT THE WORDS HEAVILY QUALIFIED OR SIMILAR WORDS SUCH AS HEAVILY CONDITIONED OR HEAVILY CONDITIONALITY - THOSE WORDS HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY CHOSEN AND YOU HAVE REPEATED THEM TIME AND TIME AGAIN DURING YOUR MAIN ADDRESS AND AS WELL AS IN ANSWER TO MEMBERS TODAY. ARE YOU NOT SUGGESTING BY USING THOSE WORDS THAT SOME KIND OF QUALIFICATION, SOME KIND OF CONDITION WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE. IF THAT IS SO, THEN ARE YOU NOT SENDING THE WRONG MESSAGE TO THE US GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SINCE, I AM SURE YOU ARE AWARE, THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS TIME AND TIME AGAIN CALLED FOR UNCONDITIONED RENEWAL OF MFN STATUS?

/GOVERNOR :

Page 10Page 11