XN000022-1994-01-18 — Page 4

J

m

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1994

I'LL ALSO, WHILE I'M IN LONDON, BE ATTENDING A MEETING WITH OTHER MINISTERS TO CONSIDER THE PROGRESS OF OUR LEGISLATION ON POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT IN HONG KONG AND THE NEXT STEPS WHICH, IN DUE COURSE, WE WILL BE REQUIRED BY OUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO TAKE. I DON'T THINK THAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT ANY DRAMATIC ANNOUNCEMENTS IN LONDON. THE POSITION IS ONE WHICH I THINK THE COMMUNITY WELL UNDERSTANDS. WE WANT TO GO ON TALKING WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS ABOUT THE THREE OUTSTANDING CONTENTIOUS ISSUES. WE'RE HAPPY TO GO ON TALKING UNTIL THAT MOMENT WHEN WE HAVE TO BEGIN LEGISLATING ON THE REMAINING MATTERS WHICH HAVE TO BE RESOLVED FOR THE 1995 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS. WE HOPE, I REPEAT, THAT TALKS CAN BE RESUMED. IF THAT'S NOT THE CASE THEN WE WILL HAVE TO TRY WITH THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TO PUT IN PLACE ARRANGEMENTS WHICH ARE ACCEPTABLE HERE IN HONG KONG, I HOPE FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

I'LL OF COURSE BE HAVING ONE OR TWO OTHER MEETINGS WITH FOREIGN OFFICE OFFICIALS, WITH THE PRIME MINISTER, THE FOREIGN SECRETARY, THE HOME SECRETARY AND OTHERS. I'LL ALSO BE SEEING ONCE AGAIN SIR DAVID FORD, OUR COMMISSIONER IN LONDON AND SIR ROBIN MCLAREN, WHO I'M DELIGHTED HAS RECOVERED FROM THE OPERATION WHICH HE

HAD, YOU WILL RECALL, LAST NOVEMBER, AND IT WILL BE VERY GOOD TO BE ABLE TO TOUCH BASE AGAIN WITH ROBIN AND TO EXCHANGE VIEWS WITH HIM ABOUT HOW WE CAN BEST WORK IN HONG KONG'S INTERESTS IN THE NEXT THREE AND A HALF YEARS.

QUESTION: DESPITE CHINESE REPEATED CLAIMS THAT IT SEPARATES POLITICES FROM ECONOMICS, THE CHINA DAILY RECENTLY QUOTED A SENIOR OFFICIAL AS SAYING THAT ECONOMIC SANCTION WILL BE IMPOSED ON BRITAIN BECAUSE OF THIS POITCAL ROW. HAVE YOU HEARD ANY SIGN OF THIS AND WHAT COUNTER MEASURES YOU WILL TAKE ?

GOVERNOR: NO, I NOTE THAT PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN AND OTHER SENIOR LEADERS HAVE MADE IT ABUNDANTLY PLAIN THAT THEY BELIEVE THAT TRADE AND POLITICS SHOULD BE KEPT SEPARATE. THEY'VE MADE THAT FOR EXAMPLE VERY CLEAR IN THE CONTEXT OF MFN. IT WAS A POINT THAT PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN PUT WITH GREAT ELOQUENCE AND CLARITY TO PRESIDENT CLINTON WHEN THEY HAD THEIR IMPORTANT MEETING. I'M SURE I DON'T NEED TO LECTURE CHINESE OFFICIALS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING NOTE OF WHAT PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN SAYS. I'M SURE THAT THEY WOULD DO THAT NATURALLY AND I NOTICE THAT DIRECTOR LU PING MADE EXACTLY THE SAME POINT AS PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN HIMSELF YESTERDAY. I REPEAT WHAT I'VE SAID BEFORE, THAT THESE ARE SLIGHTLY SURPRISING REMARKS WHEN ONE SEES THEM, BECAUSE, AS I THINK IS WELL KNOWN, CHINA HAS PRETTY WELL A 2:1 TRADE SURPLUS WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM. CHINA IS ATTEMPTING TO JOIN GATT, AN APPLICATION WHICH HAS THE UNITED KINGDOM AND OF COURSE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT'S ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT AND COUNTRIES WHICH JOIN GATT, COUNTRIES WHICH ARE MEMBERS OF GATT, DON'T BEHAVE IN THE SORT OF WAY WHICH HAS BEEN SUGGESTED BY ONE OR TWO OFFICIALS. BUT I REPEAT THAT AS FAR CONCERNED THE WORD OF PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN STANDS.

AS I'M

/QUESTION: