XN000022-1994-07-07 — Page 8

7

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 1994

MR

ON

IS

ΤΟ SUPPOSED

THAT.

BE NOW

AND

EMBARK ON WINDOW

SINCE TODAY'S SESSION HOWARD

SIR, YOUNG: RELATIONS WITH CHINA I WILL ASK A QUESTION RELATED TO THAT THE 21-MONTH DEBATE ON POLITICAL REFORM HAS BEEN PUT TO REST THERE'S NO POINT HARPING ON ANY MORE, WILL THE GOVERNMENT ANY NEW OR IMAGINATIVE INITIATIVES USING THIS, WHAT I SEE AS A OF OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD MORE BRIDGES WITH CHINA, IN PARTICULAR WHETHER OF YOU THOUGHT THERE WERE

WAYS LESS DOGMATIC ANY MORE FLEXIBLE

ABOUT BUILDING BRIDGES WITH CHINA SO THAT WE CAN GET ON WITH TALKING CO-OPERATION ON ECONOMIC MATTERS, LIVELIHOOD MATTERS AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAN BRING ABOUT A SMOOTH TRANSITION?

AFTER

THIS

GOVERNOR: WE WERE

COUNCIL DAY VERY PLEASED THAT THE REACHED ITS HISTORIC CONCLUSIONS, LAST WEEK, WE WERE ABLE TO BRING TO AN END SEVEN YEARS OF NEGOTIATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF THE DEFENCE ESTATE IN HONG KONG. AND I WOULD LIKE, IF I MAY, TO PAY A PARTICULAR TRIBUTE TO THE NEGOTIATORS ON BOTH SIDES. THESE WERE AND ARE VERY COMPLEX AND

TEAMS NEGOTIATING

CRACKED THE ISSUES AND I THINK BOTH DIFFICULT PROBLEMS BY SHOWING A GOOD DEAL OF IMAGINATION AND SINCERITY, AND IT'S PROBLEMS IN THE THE WAY

THINK WE SHOULD TRY TO DEAL WITH OTHER I AIRPORT COMMITTEE, AND THE JLG, AS WELL.

CONTAINER

IN THE JLG AND WE VERY MUCH HOPE THAT OUR ATTITUDE AND APPROACH THROUGH THE OTHER CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE CHINESE SIDE WILL HELP TO TAKE MATTERS FORWARD. LET ME GIVE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER TWO EXAMPLES. WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO INFORM THE CHINESE SIDE THAT WE'VE NOW REACHED

AGREEMENT AN

WITH

NEXT THE CONSORTIUM ON THE TERMINAL. SO IN OUR JUDGMENT IT SHOULD BE RELATIVELY EASY TO COME TO TERMINAL IS A VIEW ON THAT MATTER AND TO ENSURE THAT THE CONTAINER CONSTRUCTED WITHOUT ANY FURTHER UNDUE DELAY. NOBODY CAN PASS THE HARBOUR OR FLY OVER THE HARBOUR WITHOUT RECOGNISING THAT STARTING TO RUN INTO THE SAME SORT OF TRAFFIC JAMS IN THE PORT THAT WE SUFFER ALL TOO FREQUENTLY ON OUR ROADS, SO IT IS IMPORTANT AHEAD WITH CT9.

SECONDLY IF ONE LOOKS AT THE LOCALISATION AND ADAPTATION

ABOUT THERE ARE LET ME TAKE LOCALISATION FOR A START. KINGDOM

LAWS THAT NEED TO BE LOCALISED. WE'VE, I THINK, PROCESS ABOUT 30 OF THOSE. WE'VE GIVEN THE CHINESE SIDE

ACROSS WE ARE

то MOVE

OF LAWS.

UNITED

300

MANAGED TO CONSULTATION PROGRESS

DALAMLA

PAPERS ON A FURTHER 83 AND IT WOULD BE NICE TO MAKE AS RAPID

AND

ON THOSE AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. EQUALLY WE'VE GIVEN THE CHINESE SIDE A NUMBER OF CONSULTATION DOCUMENTS ON LAWS WHICH NEED TO BE ADAPTED I HOPE WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS ON THOSE TOO.

SO IN THE JLG AND IN OTHER FORA WE WILL WANT TO BE AS CONSTRUCTIVE AND TAKE AS CO-OPERATIVE AS POSSIBLE. WE TAKE AT THEIR FACE VALUE. WE SINCERE EXPRESSIONS WHAT CHINESE LEADERS LIKE VICE-PREMIER QIAN QICHEN HAVE SAID ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CO-OPERATING AS BROADLY AS OVER

WE KNOW THAT'S IN THE HONG KONG'S FUTURE.

AND PEOPLE

OF THEIR ECONOMY AND LIVELIHOOD OF HONG KONG AND STANDS TO GAIN ANYTHING AT ALL BY DRAGGING THEIR FEET ON ANY OF ISSUES.

POSSIBLE

INTERESTS

OF THE

NOBODY THESE

SO WE WILL BE AS POSITIVE AS POSSIBLE AND, TO BORROW A PHRASE, WE WILL KEEP HITTING THE BALL OVER THE NET AND HOPE THAT IT COMES BACK.

/MR HOWARD