XN000022-1994-09-30 — Page 3

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1994

THE

GOVERNOR ATTENDS CHINESE NATIONAL DAY RECEPTION

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FOLLOWING IS THE FULI. TEXT OF THE SPEECH GIVEN BY THE GOVERNOR, RT HON CHRISTOPHER PATTEN, AT THE CHINESE NATIONAL DAY RECEPTION TONIGHT (FRIDAY):

DIRECTOR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

THIS 18 A LANDMARK

WEEK.

TODAY WE CELEBRATE THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, A MOMENTOUS EVENT IN CHINESE HISTORY. EARLIER THIS WEEK WE MARKED THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INITIALLING OF THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION, A MOMENTOUS EVENT IN HONG KONG'S HISTORY.

THIS ANNIVERSARY WEEK IS A GOOD TIME TO TAKE STOCK OF WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED. TEN YEARS AGO THE UNITED KINGDOM AND CHINA DECLARED) THAT THE UNITED KINGDOM WOULD ADMINISTER HONG KONG UNTIL 30 JUNE 1997 WITH THE OBJECT OF MAINTAINING AND PRESERVING ITS PROSPERITY, ITS STABILITY, AND ITS WAY OF LIFE, AND THAT THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA WOULD GIVE ITS CO-OPERATION IN THIS CONNECTION. TEN YEARS ON, HONG KONG IS MORE PROSPEROUS AND MORE STABLE THAN EVER. IT HAS MOVED UP FROM 13TH TO EIGHTH PLACE IN THE LEAGUE TABLE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST TRADING ECONOMIES. GDF PER HEAD HAS INCREASED FROM US$6,000 ΤΟ NEARLY 1:5$20,000. PEOPLE ARE BETTER HOUSED, BETTER EDUCATED, BETTER CARED FOR THAN EVER BEFORE. CRIME RATES HAVE FALLEN. HONG KONG IS A DECENT, HAPPY, SELF-CONFIDENT COMMUNITY A GOOD PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND BRING UP A FAMILY, A PLACE EXTREMELY WELL-SUITED TO MEET AND OVERCOMF THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE.

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ACROSS THE BORDER, THE ECONOMIC GROWTH IN CHINA HAS BECOME ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE MODERN WORLD. HONG KONG PEOPLE AND HONG KONG CAPITAL HAVE PLAYED A VERY LARGE PART IN THAT SUCCESS STORY, AND EQUALLY HONG KONG HAS BENEFITED GREATLY FROM IT.

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ANNIVERSARIES ARE ALSO A TIME TO LOOK FORWARD. IN FIVE YEARS TIME, PERHAPS IN THIS VERY HALL, OR MAY BE IN THE EXTENSION, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION, WHETHER HE OR SHE MAY BE, MAY BE SAYING A FEW WORDS IN THE WEEK OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC AND THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INITIALLING OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. THE VISION THAT I HAVE OF THAT OCCASION IS A BRIGHT ONE. THERE IS EVERY REASON WHY HONG KONG IN 1999 SHOULD BE EVEN HIGHER UP THE WORLD'S ECONOMIC LEAGUE TABLE, ITS PER CAPITA GDP ON A PAR PERHAPS WITH THE UNITED STATES OR MAY BE EVEN BETTER, ITS CONTAINER PORT HANDLING MORE CARGO THAN ANY OTHER, ITS NEW AIRPORT SET TO BECOME THE WORLD'S BUSIEST, ITS STOCK MARKET ONE OF THE WORLD'S BIG FOUR, AND ITS QUALITY OF LIFE ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE AND MOST SECURE IN THE WORLD.

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ALL THIS IS ACHIEVABLE, ALL THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED IF THE WORK ΤΟ IMPLEMENT THE "ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS" CONCEPT IS

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COMPLETED AS ENVISAGED IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, WITH COMPREHENSIVE CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE PRESENT AND FUTURE SOVEREIGN POWERS. I LOOK FORWARD TO CO-OPERATION TO GET THE AIRPORT BUILT, TO EXTEND THE CONTAINER

PORT, AND TO ENSURE THAT THE LEGAL AND PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IS IN PLACE TO UNDERPIN THE FUTURE PROSPERITY, STABILITY AND WAY OF LIFE OF KONG.

HONG

/A PROSPEROUS