XN000022-1994-05-16 — Page 4

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MONDAY, MAY 16, 1994

GOVERNOR: BUT, YOUR ASSUMPTION IS THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT HUMAN RIGHTS SHOULD BE LINKED TO TRADE. I READ THIS WEEKEND AN EDITORIAL

THE IN WASHINGTON POST WHICH SAID THAT THERE'S A CHANGE OF MIND ON THE ISSUE AND BELIEVED THAT THE BEST WAY OF PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA WAS THROUGH OPENING UP THE ECONOMY, WAS THROUGH MORE TRADE AND THROUGH PURSUING A POLITICAL DIALOGUE. IT HAPPENS TO BE THE CASE THAT DESPITE THE FACT THAT WE IN HONG KONG HAVE MORE REASONS THAN, PERHAPS, ANYBODY TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS, WE BELIEVE AS THE WASHINGTON POST ARGUED AND AS MANY AMERICANS ARGUE, AS CONGRESSMAN LEE HAMILTON, ONE OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS HAS ARGUED, THAT IT'S NOT SENSIBLE TO LINK HUMAN RIGHTS, POLITICAL ISSUES WITH MATTERS OF TRADE AND ECONOMICS. IT'S A PERFECTLY RESPECTABLE POSITION TO TAKE UP AND IT DOESN'T IN ANY WAY UNDERMINE OUR BELIEF IN HUMAN RIGHTS.

SIR, WITH YOUR SUPPORT TO THE SPEECH ON "SILENCE QUESTION:

OF THE LAMB", WHAT SHORT OF POLITICAL PRESSURES THAT THE ADMINISTRATION RIGHT NOW ARE FEELING, AND.

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GOVERNOR: IT SHOULDN'T SURPRISE ANYBODY THAT THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG AND THE SECRETARY FOR THE TREASURY ARE IN FAVOUR OF PRUDENT FINANCING. IT'S THROUGH PRUDENT FINANCING THAT, OR PARTLY THROUGH PRUDENT FINANCING THAT HONG KONG HAS BECOME SO PROSPEROUS AND STAYED SO PROSPEROUS OVER THE YEARS. I DON'T THINK IT'S SENSIBLE IN POLITICS TO

BUT BE GUN-HELD ABOUT, TO BE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT SPENDING MONEY

NOT, FOR EXAMPLE, SO ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT RAISING THE MONEY IN ORDER TO MEET THE BILLS. I THINK THE SECRETARY FOR THE TREASURY WAS SAYING WITH

ENELOGUENCE FALSE

THAT WE HAVE TO GO ON AND BALANCING THE BOOKS IN HONG KONG. NOW, THERE IS NOTHING UNDEMOCRATIC ABOUT BELIEVING IN PRUDENT PUBLIC FINANCING. I COULD POINT TO YOU TO ALL SORTS OF: DEMOCRACY OVER THE WORLD. WE HAVE PARTY STATE IN POWER FOR YEARS OF ADVOCATING PRUDENT PUBLIC FINANCING. AT THE MOMENT, THE PRESIDENT UNITED STATES IS TRYING TO CUT THE BUDGET DEFICIT, A SORT OF ANTI- DEMOCRATIC

OPEN THING TO DO. IT'S A SENSIBLE THING TO DO. SO, IN OUR SOCIETY, THE GIVE-AND-TAKE OF PUBLIC DEBATE INCLUDES THE RIGHTS OF THE

ΤΟ EXECUTIVE

SAY FROM TIME TO TIME WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT POLITICAL (SSUES.

THE TA KUNG PAO

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QUESTION: GOVERNOR,

ON ITS EDITORIAL ABOUT RIGHTS EXPRESSED THAT

.JUST NOW SAID HONG KONG PEOPLE SHOULD GET CAUGHT UP WITH THE LEAD IN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION WHICH IS TO BE THE WORK OF A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE, REFERRED TO THE BRITISH,

WERE CLAUSES

то IN THE BASIC LAW. IT WENT ON THERE

THAT THE AND AMERICAN HAS NO SUCH COMMISSION, NEITHER DOES THE UNITED KINGDOM,

1 141 A VERY PECULIAR THING NOW SETTING IT UP IT IS

DAYS BEFORE REVERTING TO CHINA, HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT?

HUMAN

NOT

SAID

BUT

SAY

TO

IN WITH

MY

A

I

GOVERNOR: WE'LL GIVE OUR RESPONSE TO TA KUNG PAO AND INDEED TO THE FAC AND AMNESTY BEFORE THE END OF JUNE. WE ARE COMMITTED TO RESPONDING

SAID IN THE

THAT TIME SCALE. IT'S PERFECTLY TRUE, AS I FAC

THAT YOU CAN THINK OF LOTS OF EXAMPLES OF COUNTRIES SPEECH, BILL OF RIGHTS BUT NO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONS AND EXAMPLES AS WELL of AND COMMUNITIES WITH A HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION BUT NO BILL OF RIGHTS. IT'S ONLY IN ONE OR TWO EXAMPLES, IN ONLY ONE OR TWO COUNTRIES,

THE THINK CANADA IS ONE, WHERE THERE IS BOTH THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND HUMAN

HUMAN. RIGHTS COMMISSION. YOU CAN ALSO THINK OF EXAMPLES OF RIGHTS COMMISSIONS THAT AREN'T VERY EFFECTIVE AND OTHERS THAT ARE. I. THINK THAT WHAT IS IMPORTANT, AS WELL AS ADDRESSING THE INSTITUTIONAL, QUESTION, IS TO ADDRESS WHAT IT IS THAT PEOPLE EXPECT THE HUMAN RIGHTS

ΤΟ COMMISSION

DO AND AMNESTY'S TALKED ABOUT AFFORDABILITY, AND AWARENESS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND I HOPE ACCESSIBILITY

ISSUES DON'T GET LOST WHEN TALKING ABOUT THAT INSTITUTIONAL MATTER.

THOSE

/QUESTION: