XN000022-1993-12-09 — Page 5

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1993

FREEDOM

GOVERNOR: WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN HONG KONG AND WE HAVE

IS OF SPEECH IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND SIR PERCY

EXERCISING HIS FREEDOM OF SPEECH SAYING THINGS WHICH, I THINK, THE WHOLE COMMUNITY'

THE SAME IN HONG KONG KNOW HE'S BEEN SAYING FOR MANY MANY YEARS. AT

OF HONG TIME, WHAT ARE OTHER PEOPLE SAYING. WELL, WE KNOW THE VOICE

THE FOREIGN KONG AND WE KNOW THE VOICE OF BRITISH PARLIAMENT. WHEN SECRETARY MADE THE STATEMENT AT THE OTHER DAY IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,

SINGLE MEMBER EVERY

WHO SPOKE FROM RIGHT

POLITICAL ACROSS THE SPECTRUM, EVERY SINGLE ELECTED MEMBER, NOT RETIRED OFFICIAL, WHO SPOKE THAT FROM RIGHT ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM, SUPPORTED THE APPROACH WE'VE BEEN TAKING. AND I THINK THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. BUT AS FAR AS MY SPEECHES ARE CONCERNED, I AM GOING TO EXERCISE MY FREEDOM OF SPEECH TO GO ON SPEAKING UP FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AND I'LL BE GIVING

WE

SELECT COMMITTEK EVIDENCE.

AGREED THIS WHEN THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS KONG A FEW WEEKS AGO. I'LL BE GIVING EVIDENCE TO VISITED HONG FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE AND SO WILL THE FOREIGN SECRETARY LATE JANUARY.

THE

IN

QUESTION: DO YOU THINK HIS COMMENT IS JUSTISFIED?

DON'T

IN A

GOVERNOR: I DON'T THINK I WANT TO SAY ANYTHING MORE.

QUESTION: DO YOU THINK SECRET DIPLOMACY IS STILL ACCEPTABLE NOWADAYS?

I GOVERNOR:

THINK PEOPLE KNOW MY APPROACH TO SECRET DEALS. I THINK THAT YOU CAN TREAT A COMMUNITY LIKE HONG KONG IN A WHOLE CORNER WAY. I THINK YOU HAVE TO TRUST PEOPLE. I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE ONE OF CONFIDENCE IN PEOPLE. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED,

TREAT CAN'T

THE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES IN THE WORLD. YOU

THEY PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AS THOUGH THEY WERE IRRESPONSIBLE CHILDREN.

PEOPLE OF ARE VERY RESPONSIBLE. THEY ARE VERY SUCCESSFUL. WHAT THE HONG KONG WANT IS TO BE TRUSTED AND THAT'S WHAT I INTEND TO DO. THERE

BEEN ONE THING THAT I CAN ADD. IS

THERE'VE

REPORTS PERHAPS

THIS

MORNING OF

PREMIER AND FOREIGN SOME REMARKS THAT THE CHINESE VICE MINISTER, THE VERY DISTINGUISHED MR QIAN QICHEN, MADE THIS MORNING. I SAID HAVE ONLY INCOMPLETE REPORTS AND THERE MAY BE SOMETHINGS THAT HE WHICH I WANT TO COMMENT ON LATER ON IN THE WEEK. BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT SMOOTH MR QIAN QICHEN SAID THAT THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PRC WERE FOR A TRANSITION AND A SMOOTH TRANSFER OF SOVEREIGNTY. AND I WANT TO SAY ARE ENTIRELY THOSE'RE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE CHINESE SIDE, THEY

SHARED BY SHARED BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, AND THEY ARE ENTIRELY THE

POSSIBLE SIDE AS WELL. WE WANT TO HAVE AS SMOOTHEST BRITISH TRANSITION, WE WANT

TRANSFER OF TO HAVE AS SMOOTHEST AS POSSIBLE

WR SOVEREIGNTY, ABOUT WHICH THERE IS NO ARGUMENT WHATSOEVER IN 1997.

THAT THE ALSO WANT TO HAVE THE SMOOTHEST POSSIBLE WAY OF ENSURING JOINT DECLARATION, THAT REMARKABLE TREATY BETWEEN BRITAIN AND

THE ΤΟ

LETTER AND IN THE SPIRIT IN WHICH IS IMPLEMENTED WRITTEN. SO THOSE ARE THINGS ON WHICH I HOPE WE CAN AGREE AND ON WHICH IF WE CAN COOPERATE. MAY I JUST ADD THIS, IT WOULD BE VEY SURPRISING

DIFFICULT WE ARE ABLE TO AGREE ON EVERYTHING DURING THIS UNIQUELY PERIOD. BUT I HOPE THAT, EVEN THOUGH WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO AGREE EVERYTHING, THAT WON'T MEAN THAT WE DISAGREE ON EVERYTHING. THERE'S PLENTY ON WHICH WE CAN AGREE, PLENTY ON WHICH WE MUST COOPERATE IN THE OF HONG INTERESTS OF THE LIVELIHOOD AND THE STABILITY OF THE PEOPLE

SPIRIT. KONG. IT'S OUR INTENTION TO GO ON WORKING IN THAT COOPERATIVE ONE MORE QUESTION.

AS

IF SO

CHINA, IT WAS

ON

/QUESTION: