XN000022-1993-10-06 — Page 57

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1993

QUESTION

TODAY YOU MENTIONED A LESSON THAT YOU'VE LEARNT CHINESE AGREEING TO TALK AFTER YOU'D TABLED THE PROPOSALS WHAT EXACTLY WAS THAT LESSON?

BY

THE

IN LEGCO,

ABOUT THAT SOMETIMES BY

GOVERNOR: I THINK I'D LEAVE IT TO YOU TO SPECULATE PARTICULAR RHETORICAL FLOURISH. I THINK IT IS SAID SINOLOGISTS AND THOSE WHO ARE REALLY EXPERIENCED IN THESE MATTERS, THAT VERY OFTEN CHINESE NEGOTIATORS DON'T MOVE UNTIL THE MOMENT.

VERY LAST WHETHER THAT WAS TRUE IN THE CASE OF THE BEGINNING OF EARLIER THIS SUMMER IS A MATTER OF OPINION.

TALKS

QUESTION: I'VE GOT TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU MR PATTEN. ONE,

TWELVE

SHOULD

TAKE PLACE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS...

ROUNDS OF NEGOTIATIONS YOU COULDN'T REACH AN YOU BE BOUND TO BE OPTIMISTIC THAT SOMETHING

GOVERNOR: BECAUSE I'M THAT SORT OF CHAP.

QUESTION:

BUT IS THAT REALITY ?

AGREEMENT, POSITIVE

IF AFTER WHY COULD

HUNDRED PROPOSALS LOT OF

GOVERNOR: I AGREE WITH YOU THAT I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THAT A HOURS SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT FOR DEALING WITH A SET OF WHICH ARB BY ANY DEFINITION EXTREMELY MODEST. THERE ARE A LIBERALS, WITH A SMALL 'L', IN HONG KONG WHO'VE WON A LOT OF ELECTIONS IN HONG KONG, WHO REGARD THE PROPOSALS THAT ARE AT THE CENTRE OF ARGUMENT

THIS AS BEING, IN DEMOCRATIC TERMS, SLIM TO THE

POINT OF

IT'S ON

EMACIATION. THEY MUST BE EVEN MORE SURPRISED THAN I AM THAT TAKEN SO LONG TO MAKE RELATIVELY MODEST PROGRESS. BUT I'LL GO HOPING AND PRAYING FOR SUCCESS UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT, BUT AFTER MIDNIGHT I'LL RECOGNISE THAT WE WILL HAVE TO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND GET ON WITH THINGS OURSELVES. YOU HAD A SECOND QUESTION?

QUESTION (THE TIMES): YES. UMM

GOVERNOR: JUST COME BACK TO IT NEXT YEAR.

QUESTION: YOU HAVE PROPOSED TO INJECT HK$7 BILLION INTO THE PENSION RESERVE FUND FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE BUT THE CHINESE REPRESENTATIVE OP JLG, MR GUO FENGMIN, CRITICISED THAT. THE CHINESE SIDE PROPOSED, I MEAN URGED THE BRITISH SIDE TO PROPOSE, I MEAN HAND IN A PROPOSAL FOR THE PENSION FUND BUT NO RESPONSE FROM THE BRITISH SIDE. YOU DELAY THE WORK, SO ACTUALLY WHAT'S GOING ON THERE?

So,

THAT'S

/GOVERNOR: WELL,