XN000022-1994-09-26 — Page 5

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1994

QUESTION: MR GOVERNOR, DO YOU THINK THAT AFTER YOU HAVE BECOME THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, THE SINO-BRITISH RELATION OR EVEN THE SINO-HONG KONG RELATION IS GETTING WORSE?

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GOVERNOR: NO. I THINK THAT THERE HAVE BEEN DIFFICULTIES WHICH GO BACK, SOME WOULD SAY TO 1989. SOME WOULD POINT TO OTHER DATES BUT WE HAD DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES WHICH DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS SORT OF PERSONALITY. OUR POLICY IS, WAS, AND REMAINS TO TRY TO ENSURE THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. WE'VE OBVIOUSLY BEEN JUDGED, ABOVE ALL, BY THAT.

HOW WOULD THE BRITISH SIDE DO IN ORDER TO SECURE A

QUESTION: BUT, SMOOTH TRANSITION?

GOVERNOR: I THINK YOU WANT TO ASK TWO QUESTIONS. FIRST, WHAT WOULD THE CHINESE SIDE DO? SECONDLY, WHAT WOULD THE BRITISH SIDE DO.. WE'LL BB SAYING WHAT, WE THINK, SHOULD BE DONE WHEN MR HURD MEETS VICE PREMIER QIAN QICHEN AND I HOPE VICE PREMIER QIAN QICHEN WILL BE SAYING FROM HIS PART WHAT CHINA INTENDS TO DO. I'LL SETTING OUT SOME OF OUR THOUGHTS ON THE SUBJECT WHEN I ADDRESS THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. BUT IT'S A QUESTION, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GOTTA TO BE FAIR FOR BOTH SIDES.

QUESTION: GOVERNOR. WOULD THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT CONSIDER GIVING ANY PROPOSAL TO THE NPC OR THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE IN 1996 WHEN THEY ARE CONSIDERING THE FUTURE PRO-1997 ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS. SINCE THE NPC MEETING.... LAST WEEK, THEY SAID THAT THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE ARE

OPEN TO ANYONE AND THEY ARE WILLING TO LISTEN TO ALL SUGGESTIONS VÍN TERMS OF THE PRO-1997 ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS, WILL YOU....?

AND

GOVERNOR: I SAID IN AN INTERVIEW AT THE END OF LAST WEEK WHICH, THINK, WAS SHOWN YESTERDAY. WE INTEND TO CO-OPERATE AS POSITIVELY CONSTRUCTIVELY AS POSSIBLE WITH THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE AND THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE (DESIGNATE) OF THE SAR. THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG WOULD WANT TO DO. THAT'S ENTIRELY NATURAL DEVELOPMENT AND WE OBVIOUSLY WANT TO DISCUSS PRACTICAL WAYS IN WHICH THAT CAN BE TAKEN FORWARD. I AM SURE THAT WILL BE A SUBJECT ON THE AGENDA WHEN MR HURD AND MR QIAN QICHEN MEET LATER THIS WEEK. ONE LAST QUESTION.

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QUESTION: GOVERNOR, SINCE THE BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY HAS MENTIONED THE WORD "SHARED INTEREST", HE HASN'T ELABORATED ON THAT. THERE IS A LOT OF SPECULATION OF WHAT THAT "SHARED INTEREST" IS. FOR THE RECORD, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THAT IS?

/GOVERNOR: