XN000022-1993-05-13 — Page 14

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THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1993

THANK YOU

PRESIDENT.

DR PHILIP WONG:

GOVERNOR, I WONDER WHETHER YOU CAN TELL THIS COUNCIL THAT IN YOUR MIND, WITH REFERENCE TO THE RENEWAL OF MFN, IF THERE IS ANY CONDITIONS WHICH IS NOT LIKELY HURT HONG KONG AT ALL?

סיני

GOVERNOR:

I IMAGINE YOU COULD ATTACH CONDITIONS TO MFN RENEWAL WHICH WERE SO GENERAL OR SO RHETORICAL THAT THEY WOULD BE UNLIKELY то HAVE ANY ECONOMIC EFFECT. THERE MIGHT THEN BE AN ARGUMENT ABOUT WHETHER THERE WAS ANY POINT IN ATTACHING THEM AT ALL, BUT THERE ARE OF COURSE GRADATIONS OF CONDITION. EQUALLY THERE ARE GRADATIONS OF PRC REACTION TO ANY SET OF CONDITIONS. IT'S NOT FOR ME TO SPECULATE ABOUT HOW CHINESE OFFICIALS WOULD REACT TO PARTICULAR SORTS OF CONDITION BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT, WOULD HAVE SOME EFFECT AS WELL. SO I THINK THE ANSWER TO THE HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN'S QUESTION IS THAT THERE PROBABLY ARE SORTS OF CONDITION WHICH WOULDN'T HAVE ANY EFFECT BUT BEST OF ALL IS TO HAVE NO CONDITIONS AT ALL.

I THINK THAT IT'S WORTH REMEMBERING THAT THE TERM MOST FAVOURED NATION IS A SLIGHT MISNOMER. WHAT MOST FAVOURED NATION STATUS MEANS IS A NORMAL TRADING RELATIONSHIP. IT DOESN'T SOMEHOW PUT A NATION WHICH ENJOYS THAT STATUS IN A SPECIAL CATEGORY EXCEPT THAT HAVING A NORMAL TRADING RELATIONSHIP MAY BE REGARDED BY SOME IN AN INCREASINGLY PROTECTIONIST WORLD AS SPECIAL. BUT I THINK THAT IT MAY BE THE CASE THAT IN CONVEYING THE ARGUMENT FOR MEN RENEWAL, TO AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION, THE WORDS MOST FAVOURED NATION DO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THOSE WHO, LIKE ME, ADVOCATE FREE TRADE.

MS EMILY LAU: THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. I WANT TO ASK THE GOVERNOR THAT IN HIS MEETING WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON, APART FROM TALKING ABOUT TRADE, WAS THERE ANYTHING ELSE HE TOLD THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT THAT AMERICA COULD DO TO HELP HONG KONG IN THIS VERY DIFFICULT TRANSITION PERIOD. FOR EXAMPLE PASSPORTS, AN AREA WHICH BRITAIN IS SO RELUCTANT TO HELP.

GOVERNOR:

I DIDN'T TALK ABOUT PASSPORTS TO PRESIDENT CLINTON AND I WILL PASS BY THE ADDENDUM TO THE HONOURABLE LADY'S QUESTION IN ORDER ΤΟ ENSURE THAT THIS SESSION ENDS AS HARMONIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE. I WAS ASKED BY THE PRESIDENT ABOUT POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG KONG JUST AS HE HAD BEEN ASKED ABOUT HIS VIEWS ON THEM BY JOURNALISTS WHO CAME IN то TAKE OUR PHOTOGRAPH AT THE REGINNING OF OUR DISCUSSION AND I ANSWERED IN TERMS WHICH WOULD BE FAMILIAR TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. EQUALLY AS THE HONOURABLE LADY WILL KNOW, THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF MADE IT PLAIN THAT WHILE HE WAS INTERESTED IN THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME FOR HONG KONG, HE RECOGNISED THAT THE MATTERS UNDER DISCUSSION WERE FOR THE PRESENT AND FUTURE SOVEREIGN POWERS.

MS EMILY LAU: MR PRESIDENT, JUST A SHORT FOLLOW UP. WHAT I WANT то ASK THE GOVERNOR IS, APART FROM TRADE, WHAT OTHER AREAS CAN AMERICA ASSIST HONG KONG, SO MAY BE - YOU MENTIONED POLITICAL REFORMS, MAY BE THAT'S AN AREA YOU THINK AMERICA CAN ASSIST. MAY BE THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT AMERICA CAN DO FOR US. I JUST ASKED WHETHER YOU TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT IT TO THE PRESIDENT AND SAY, MAY BE, TRADE, CAN YOU DO THIS TO HELP HONG KONG AS WELL.

APART

FROM

/GOVERNOR: