XN000022-1993-12-12 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1993

GOVERNOR SPEAKS TO REPORTERS

* * * * *

THE FOLLOWING

TRANSCRIPT OF THE

GOVERNOR,

THE RT

HON

SHAN

IS THE CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER OPENING THE PING HERITAGE TRAIL ON DECEMBER 12, 1993:

SUNDAY

GOVERNOR: I AM DELIGHTED THAT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO SPEND YOUR MORNING SEEING THE OPENING OF THIS HERITAGE TRAIL. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT ALL OF US IN THE COMMUNITY ARE REMINDED OF HONG KONG'S PAST AS WELL AS BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE AND I HOPE MANY PEOPLE IN FUTURE WILL COME AND SEE SOME OF OUR HERITAGE THEMSELVES.

QUESTION : MR GOVERNOR, MR LI PENG YESTERDAY SAID THAT ECONOMIC TIE WITH CHINA MAY BE AFFECTED BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTION.

WILL YOU MAKE ANY FURTHER CONCESSION OR SQ PEOPLE'S INTERESTS BECAUSE OF THIS REMARK?

THE BRITISH UNILATERAL

SELL HONG KONG

SAID TO

UP

AND

THEY

ΤΟ

GOVERNOR: I VERY MUCH AGREE WITH PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN WHO PRESIDENT CLINTON WHEN HE SAW HIM RECENTLY THAT NOBODY SHOULD MIX POLITICS WITH ECONOMICS. I THINK THAT'S EXTREMELY SENSIBLE ADVICE

AM SURE IT'S CERTAINLY ADVICE WHICH I WILL ALWAYS WANT TO FOLLOW, I

ON THAT THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO PUT ALL ITS PRIORITY

IT'S TRUE THE WELL-BEING AND INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

IT'S THAT BRITISH AND CHINA HAVE AN IMPORTANT ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP. ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP IN WHICH UNDER THE LAST FIGURES, CHINESE EXPORTS TO BRITAIN WERE TWICE AS LARGE AS BRITISH EXPORTS TO CHINA. THERE IS A LARGE CHINESE SURPLUS WITH BRITISH IN TRADE AND I AM SURE THAT THAT'S

OFFICIALS AS IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN RECOGNISED BY CHINESE

CHINA'S EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE CHINESE ECONOMIC OPENING.

AMBASSADOR WAS ENCOURAGING BRITISH FIRMS TO INVEST IN CHINA AND I AM SURE THAT WOULD WANT TO DO THAT. JUST ONE OR TWO OTHER THINGS WHICH I'D LIKE SAY. I NOTED WHAT CHINESE OFFICIALS SAID YESTERDAY ABOUT TURMOIL AND NO TURMOIL OR CHAOS AND I WANT TO MAKE AN OBVIOUS POINT. THERE IS

THREAT FOR THE CHAOS IN HONG KONG, WHOEVER ELSE THERE MAY BE THE

LEADERS PROSPECT OF TURMOIL OR CHAOS. SO, I THINK THAT CHINESE CHINESE OFFICIALS COULD PUT THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS AT REST ON PARTICULAR QUESTION. WE HAVE HERE IN HONG KONG A STABLE, INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY, RECOGNISED AS SUCH BY THE THE WORLD, RECOGNISED AS SUCH, I THINK, BY OUR NEIGHBOURS IN CHINA AND PROSPEROUS, WE

AND ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE STABLE AND AS STABLE FLOURISHING UNDER THE RULE OF LAW. IN THE LAST YEAR, WE HAD A

WHICH DEBATE ABOUT OUR POLITICAL FUTURE. IT'S BEEN CONDUCTED IN A WAY

EXPECT IS CALM AND SENSIBLE AND MATURE, JUST THE SORT OF WAY THAT YOU THESE MATTERS TO BE HANDLED IN HONG KONG, AND WHILE THAT DEBATE'S BEEN CUT TAKING PLACE, HONG KONG'S ECONOMY HAS GROWN BY ABOUT 5.5 %. WE'VE TAXES. WE'VE INCREASED PROVISIONS FOR SOCIAL PROGRAMMES AND WE'VE SEEN GROWING INTERNATIONAL CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE OF OUR ECONOMY. HOW IT HAS BEEN AND THAT'S HOW IT IS GOING TO CONTINUE. ONE MORE

AND THAT

PROSPEROUS,

WHOLE OF

LEGISLATIVE QUESTION: THE PWC WILL DISCUSS THE FORMATION OF AFTER 1997. DO YOU THINK IT WILL AFFECT THE INTENTION CANDIDATES WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 1994/95 ELECTIONS?

GOOD

THAT'S

COUNCIL

OF THE

/GOVERNOR: