XN000022-1993-10-06 — Page 59

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1993

GOVERNOR: ON YOUR FIRST QUESTION, WHAT WE'RE ATTEMPTING TO SECURE ARE OBJECTIVE CRITERIA WHICH CAN BE AGREED. IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH INDIVIDUALS. IT WOULD BE ASTONISHING TO EVEN BEGIN DISCUSSING SUCH AN ISSUE. THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FAIR ELECTIONS TO A LEGISLATURE. IT HAS MORE IN COMMON WITH MORE DUBIOUS AND

DEFENSIBLE LESS ACTIVITIES, SO WE WOULD CERTAINLY NOT DISCUSS MATTERS IN THAT WAY.

I'M

DO

BE

AND

SECONDLY, THE SIXTY-FOUR THOUSAND DOLLAR QUESTION,

TALKS RELUCTANT, WHILE WE'RE STILL ATTEMPTING TO SECURE AGREEMENT IN

WITH THESE SPECULATE, EVEN IN WHAT JONATHAN MIRSKY RIGHTLY SAID, DISCRETE AND CONFIDENTIAL SURROUNDINGS, ON PRECISELY WHAT WE WILL IF THERE IS A FAILURE TO REACH AGREEMENT. WE WILL, OF COURSE, OBLIGED TO BRING LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

WHAT I THERE IS ANY NUMBER OF OPTIONS WHICH YOU CAN SPECULATE ABOUT.

IN PLACE WILL BE TRYING

ARRANGEMENTS TO DO IS TO GET THE BEST OF THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL SO HONG KONG CAN HAVE FAIR ELECTIONS. BUT, WHILE I HAVE A VIEW ABOUT YOUR QUESTION, IT'S NOT A VIEW WHICH AT PRESENT I THINK WOULD BE JUDICIOUS FOR ME TO SHARE.

QUESTION:

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE CONTINUING SUPPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IN RESPECT OF YOUR REFORMS? AND ARE CONVINCED THAT YOU MAY FIND MANY SUPPORTERS?

YOU

GOVERNOR:

IN

I'M

NOT

HONG

THE

WHY

WHAT MATTERS IS THE VIEWS OF THIS COMMUNITY. SURPRISED THAT THERE IS SUCH GREAT INTERNATIONAL INTEREST IN KONG,

HONG KONG'S FUTURE AND DESTINY, BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF GREATEST INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD, AND THAT IS PEOPLE'S EYES ARE ON HONG KONG. IN EUROPE, IN NORTH AMERICA AND IN THE IN HONG I THINK PEOPLE ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN WHAT HAPPENS REGION, KONG BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK THAT HONG KONG REPRESENTS A SET OF VALUES, A SET OF PRINCIPLES, A WAY OF LIFE, ALL OF WHICH INCREASINGLY REPRESENT THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE MAJORITY OF HUMANITY. So, PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN WHAT HAPPENS HERE. BUT WE HAVE TO WORK THESE MATTERS OUT BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA, AND THE VIEWS OF HONG KONG AND CONFIDENCE AND THE COURAGE OF HONG KONG ARE, I GUESS, THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT IN THE WHOLE MIX.

QUESTION:

FIRST ONE:

THE

THE

VERY

MR

ASK GOVERNOR, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS TO

YOU. YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR POLICY SPEECH, THIS IS A

THE SUCCESSFUL AND A COMPETITIVE POLICY, AND YOU ALSO MENTIONED THAT

BUT I'VE BUSINESS COUNCIL IS QUITE CORPORATE IN A VERY PROPER WAY. HEARD FROM THE OTHER STORY THAT THIS BUSINESS COUNCIL IS NOT WELL KNOWN IN A WORLD CASE TO ORGANISE SOMETHING LIKE THE COMPETITIVE

CAN YOU TELL POLICY.

ME THE PROS AND CONS OF THE PAST YEAR'S PERFORMANCE OF THIS BUSINESS COUNCIL?

AND SECONDLY, COULD YOU TRY TO SAY EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF ADVICE YOU WILL BE GIVING TO THE PRIME MINISTER AND

FOREIGN THE AFFAIRS MINISTER ON THE NEXT CABINET MEETING? WILL THIS MEETING THE LAST ONE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR?

BE

GOVERNOR:

ON THE SECOND QUESTION, FIRST. I THINK THAT BOTH THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE FOREIGN SECRETARY WOULD EXPECT ME TO OFFER THEM THE ADVICE I HAVE ON THE WAY FORWARD FIRST, RATHER THAN OFFER YOU FIRST AND THEN COME ON TO THEM LATER ON.

IT

TO

/ON YOUR