XN000022-1994-09-14 — Page 4

3

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1994

-

OF

KONG

WITH

SEEN

GOVERNOR: YES,

THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY MADE A FULL STATEMENT THIS MORNING AND ANSWERED QUESTIONS ON IT. I DON'T WANT TO ADD ANYTHING LENGTHY ΤΟ WHAT HE SAID. BUT I WILL JUST ADD THIS. I THINK IT'S DEMEANING AND UNDIGNIFIED TO GET INVOLVED IN THE SORT OF EXCHANGES LANGUAGE WHICH WE HEARD YESTERDAY. I THINK THAT PEOPLE IN HONG DON'T THINK MUCH OF THAT. I THINK THEY PREFER IT IF WE GET ON THE JOB OF BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR HONG KONG. AND AS WE'VE HERE, THIS IS WHAT WE CAN ACHIEVE WHEN WE HAVE THE CHANCE. THERE ARE TWO THINGS WHICH I THINK WE ALL NEED TO REMEMBER AND BE EXTREMELY CLEAR ABOUT. THE FIRST IS THAT HONG KONG HAS ACHIEVED WHAT IT HAS DONE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS PARTLY ON THE BASIS OF A REPUTATION FOR CLEAN GOVERNMENT AND FOR PLAIN DEALING. SECONDLY, IF YOU ONCE ALLOW ECONOMIC DECISIONS - DECISIONS MADE BY GOVERNMENT, DECISIONS ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, THE AWARD OF CONTRACTS OR FRANCHISES TO BE POLITICISED, TO BE DISTORTED BY POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS, IF YOU ONCE ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN, YOU SERIOUSLY UNDERMINE YOUR FUTURE PROSPERITY. YOU SERIOUSLY UNDERMINE INVESTORS' CONFIDENCE IN YOUR ECONOMY AND YOUR WAY OF DOING THINGS. SO I THINK PEOPLE WHO MADE THOSE SORTS OF STATEMENT NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL THAT THEY DON'T DO VERY SERIOUS DAMAGE TO OUR REPUTATION IN HONG KONG AND TO OUR PROSPECTS. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO SPEND A GOOD DEAL OF THE NEXT THREE YEARS, I AM SURE OTHER OFFICIALS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DO THE SAME, GIVING PEOPLE REASSURANCES ABOUT THE FUTURE, REASSURING THEM THAT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG WILL BE SPECTACULAR, THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL, PROSPEROUS, OPEN, FREE, PLURALISTIC SOCIETY HERE IN HONG KONG. I HOPE THAT SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES, OFFICIALS IN THE PRC, RECOGNISE THAT THEY HAVE ΤΟ GIVE REASSURANCE AS WELL. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY THE RIGHT THINGS; IT'S IMPORTANT TO ACT IN THE RIGHT WAY AS WELL BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. ONE MORE QUESTION.

QUESTION: MR PATTEN, IN PRACTICAL TERMS, WHAT CAN THE FOREIGN SECRETARY ACTUALLY OFFER TO THE CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WHEN THEY MEET?

GOVERNOR:

AND

HE CAN OFFER THAT WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE POSITIVE CONSTRUCTIVE AND THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO ATTEMPT TO CO-OPERATE AT EVERY LEVEL WHENEVER THAT'S IN THE INTEREST OF HONG KONG. WE WANT A CO-OPERATIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK FOR THAT OBJECTIVE. EVERY DAY, EVERY WEEK, THERE ARE A HUGE NUMBER OF EXCHANGES, OF CONTACTS BETWEEN HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND THEIR OPPOSITE NUMBERS IN THE PRC AND MOST OF THOSE CONTACTS, MOST OF THAT WORK GOES FORWARD EXTREMELY SUCCESSFULLY. I AM SORRY THAT IT'S THE CASE THAT SOME ISSUES HAVE BEEN POLITICISED BY OTHERS IN THE LAST FEW YEARS. IT DOESN'T, I REPEAT, IT DOESN'T HURT ANYBODY EXCEPT FUTURE SAR GOVERNMENT AND THE PRC. SO I HOPE THAT'S MORE RECOGNISED. LAST ONE.

THE

GENERALLY

/QUESTION