XN000022-1994-05-16 — Page 8

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MONDAY, MAY 16, 1994

GOVERNOR: I THINK WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IS WAIT UNTIL I'VE MADE MY SPEECH THIS EVENING AND THEN WAIT, WHICH WILL HAVE TO BE EVEN LONGER, UNTIL THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT, UNTIL EXCO HAVE DISCUSSED THE ISSUE. WE'LL BE SETTING OUT OUR PROPOSALS IN DUE COURSE AND I AM SORRY THAT I CAN'T SET THEM OUT FOR YOU.

QUESTION: WILL YOU SURPRISE US?

I GOVERNOR:

AM SURE THAT YOU WILL BE OVERWHELMED ONCE AGAIN GOOD SENSE OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT.

BY

THE

THE POLITICAL

PARTIES WANT TO MEET

ΤΟ YOU

DISCUSS THE

QUESTION: AMENDMENT ON THE BILL ON RATES, UP TO NOW, THERE'S NO RESPONSE FROM YOU, WILL YOU...?

ΤΟ GOVERNOR: I AM SENDING A LETTER TO THE UDHK LATER ON TODAY. I HAVE SAY, I MEAN, I AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO MEET ANYBODY AT ANY TIME.

THINK

BEEN THAT'S

ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF OUR ADMINISTRATION IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. BUT THE CASE ON RATES IS A VERY BAD ONE AND THE WHOLE COMMUNITY KNOWS IT IS A VERY BAD ONE. AT PRESENT, HOUSEHOLDS ARE PAYING TWO PERCENT OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD INCOMES IN DOMESTIC RATES. UNDER THE PROPOSALS THAT FOLLOW THE NORMAL PRACTICE, THAT FIGURE WOULD GO UP TO 2.1 PERCENT. IN THE CONTEXT OF A BUDGET WHICH HAS MADE SUBSTANTIAL

IN CUTS

THE TAX BURDEN, I DON'T REALLY THINK THAT PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THINK THAT'S UNREASONABLE AND I DO THINK WE

BE SHOULD PRUDENT ABOUT OUR PUBLIC FINANCING AND IF WE ARE GOING TO USE PUBLIC BUT FUNDS, TARGETED ON THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT. I DON'T THINK THAT ON THIS OCCASION, THE POLITICAL PARTIES HAVE IDENTIFIED ONE OF THE HIGHEST ISSUES ON PEOPLE'S AGENDA. YOU'VE GOT WAIT FOR THIS EVENING.

YOU WHAT IS YOUR READING ON THE SITUATION ON THE MFN. QUESTION: CONSIDER INEVITABLE THAT THE AMERICAN WILL RENEW IT?

[

NOW

GOVERNOR:

THINK IT'S A BIT DANGEROUS TO SPECULATE ABOUT THE POLITICAL PROCESS IN WASHINGTON OR ANYWHERE ELSE. Į VERY MUCH HOPE THAT MEN WILL BE DELINKED FROM POLITICAL ISSUES. I THINK THAT'S IN THE INTEREST OF EVERYBODY. IT'S IN THE INTEREST OF AMERICA AND CHINA.

INTEREST IN THE INTEREST OF HONG KONG, I THINK IT'S IN THE WHOLE WORLD. THAT'S A POINT WHICH THE CHIEF SECRETARY, ANSON CHAN, WITH GREAT

AND ELOQUENCE AND VIGOUR WHEN SHE WAS IN WASHINGTON YORK A COUPLE OF WEEKS 400 AND IT'S A POINT THAT I PUT AGAIN. CAN'T PREDICT WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN WASHINGTON BUT I VERY MUCH HOPE THAT GOOD SENSE WILL PREVAIL.

QUESTION:

IT'S

OF

THE

PUT

NEW

I

So,

SENATOR MITCHELL

TODAY ADVOCATED VERY STRONGLY

THAT IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WOULD BE PROBABLY SOME SORT OF SELECTIVE SANCTIONS?

TO SEE HAVE TARGETING APART IT'LL BE A

WHETHER SILK

GOVERNOR: WE'VE MADE IT CLEARLY ALL ALONG THAT WE WOULD LIKE

PEOPLE RENEWAL OF MEN AND SOMETIMES IN THE PAST, UNCONDITIONAL TALKED ABOUT SELECTIVE SANCTIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN TERMS OF AT THE STATE SECTOR IN CHINA WHEN IT COMES TO EXPORTS. QUITE FROM THE UNDESIRABILITY OF THAT, I'VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD HOW ADMINISTRATIVELY POSSIBLE, HOW YOU CAN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WHETHER BICYCLE IS A PRIVATE SECTOR BICYCLE OR A STATE BICYCLE, IS THE RESULT OF A PRIVATE SECTOR OR A PUBLIC SECTOR PROCESS. IT SEEMS TO

I So, ME LIKE A HUGE JOB CREATION JOB FOR THE AMERICAN CUSTOMS,

WAY IF HOPE WE CAN DISPOSE OF THE ISSUE ONCE AND FOR ALL IN A CLEAN POSSIBLE. IT

ABOUT HUMAN ISN'T TO SAY THAT PROPLE AREN'T CONCERNED RIGHTS. THEY ARE, BUT I DON'T THINK PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE TRADE IS THE BEST WAY OF SECURING HUMAN RIGHTS OBJECTIVES. THANKS VERY MUCH.

USE OF

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