XN000022-1994-02-26 — Page 5

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1994

TRANSCRIPT OF CHIEF SECRETARY'S MEDIA SESSION

* * * * *

THE FOLLOWING

THE

IS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE MEDIA SESSTON BY CHIEF SECRETARY, MRS ANSON CHAN, AFTER OPENING THE ICAC 20TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION ON FEBRUARY 26, 1994

CS: MAKE HAS

LIKE

TO THIS

ON

ALL. ON ELECTORAL

THAT

AND

IN

VERY

SIDE

GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. ONE OR TWO REMARKS THAT I WOULD

AND THEN I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER A FEW SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. BEEN QUITE AN EVENTUAL AND MOMENTOUS WEEK FOR US WEDNESDAY, WE SAW THE PASSAGE OF THE FIRST STAGE BILL PROVISIONS AND WE'VE NOW GAZETTED THE SECOND STAGE BILL. I THINK THE COMMUNITY WOULD ALL WANT US TO LOOK FORWARD AND NOT BACKWARD TO CONCENTRATE NOT ON THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS BUT ON THE MORE POSITIVE THE ASPECTS OF LIFE IN HONG KONG. I THINK, AS YOU HAVE ALL SEEN FROM PUBLICATION OF THE DRAFT ESTIMATES, WE'VE DONE EXTREMELY WELL ECONOMICALLY

THE IN THE PAST YEAR AND I AM SURE NEXT WEEK

FINANCIAL WILL HAVE THE HEAVY TASK OF DELIVERING A SECRETARY

VERY VERY GOOD BUDGET. BUT CLOSE TO OUR ECONOMIC GROWTH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DEVOTE MORE RESOURCES AND ΤΟ SPEND MORE IN A WHOLE SERIES OF SOCIAL PROGRAMMES THAT THE COMMUNITY IS QUITE RIGHTLY CONCERNED WITH. TERMS OF OUR CO-OPERATION WITH THE CHINESE, WE ARE, OF COURSE, GLAD TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE SOME VERY GOOD TALKS WITH THE CHINESE

WEEK, ON DEFENCE LAND AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO AN EARLY AGREEMENT. NEXT

ALSO HOPE TO BE ABLE TO AGREE A DATE WITH THE CHINESE WE

FOR EXPERT TALKS ON THE AIRPORT FINANCING PROPOSALS. AS I HAVE STATED ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, THERE ARE MANY AREAS IN WHICH WE WOULD WISH AND WOULD CONTINUE TO SEEK CLOSE CO-OPERATION WITH THE CHINESE, PARTICULARLY IN MATTERS AFFECTING PEOPLE'S EVERYDAY LIFE AND IN OUR ECONOMY, THINGS I WAS LIKE INFRASTRUCTURAL BUILDING AND WHAT NOT. IN THIS CONNECTION, VERY GLAD

THE TO NOTE THE COMMENTS FROM MR CHAN WHO, I BELIEVE, IS

IT OF THE GUANGDONG PROVINCIAL SECURITY OFFICE IN WHICH HE MADE

CLEAR THAT OUR CURRENT DIFFICULTIES WITH THE CHINESE ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS WILL NOT AFFECT THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP AND CO- OPERATION THAT WE HAVE ACROSS THE BORDER ON MAINTAINING LAW AND ORDER. WE VERY MUCH WELCOME THAT STATEMENT. I ALSO WANT TO COMMENT ON REMARKS THAT THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE NONA, MR ZHANG JUNSHENG MADE YESTERDAY CONCERNING THE BASIS FOR THE CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS, I WANT TO MAKE TALKS THREE POINTS. FIRST OF ALL, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE BASIS FOR THE WERE THREE, I.E. THAT WE WOULD CONDUCT THESE TALKS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE JOINT DECLARATION AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLE OF CONVERGENCE WITH THE BASIC LAW AND ACCORDING TO THE AGREEMENT AND UNDERSTANDING REACHED BETWEEN THE TWO GOVERNMENTS, THAT IE, THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. SECONDLY, WE ALSO MADE CLEAR THAT IF WE REACHED AGREEMENT WITH THE CHINESE ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS, THEN WE WOULD BE PREPARED TO RECOMMEND THE AGREED PACKAGE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. AT NO STAGE EITHER BEFORE THE TALKS OR DURING THE TALKS, DID WE ACCEPT THE CHINESE POSITION THAT WE COULD NOT PUT DRAFT LEGISLATION TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL BEFORE AGREEMENT WAS REACHED WITH THE CHINESE.

HEAD QUITE

QUESTION: (LU PING SAID AS HONG KONG HAD INTRODUCED REFORMS THEY WILL ITS HAVE TO GO IT ALONE FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS. AND CHINA WILL MAKE OWN PREPARATIONS) ?

CS # I WOULD STRESS THAT WE SEE MANY AREAS IN WHICH WE DO HAVE CO- OPERATION WITH THE CHINESE AND WE WOULD WISH TO SEE THIS CO-OPERATION CONTINUE AND INDEED STRENGTHENED. THE CHINESE HAVE SAID THAT THEY REMAIN FULLY COMMITTED TO MAINTAINING HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY BOTH NOW AND AFTER 1997 AND THEY CAN BE ASSURED OF OUR FULL CO-OPERATION ON THIS FRONT.

-

0

-

/5