XN000022-1994-11-11 — Page 5

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1994

QUESTION:

PRIME MINISTER, DO YOU CONTINUE TO SUPPORT REFORM PACKAGE PASSED BY THE LEGISLATURE IN JUNE THIS YEAR, AS A TERM DEMOCRATIC MODEL FOR HONG KONG?

THE

LONG

PRIME MINISTER:

WELL FOR US, WE WANT HONG KONG TO HAVE THE BEST SYSTEM POSSIBLE THAT SUITS THEM THE BEST WHEN THE CHANGEOVER WILL COME IN THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS FROM NOW. OF COURSE I MENTIONED THE SITUATION WHEN I WAS IN BEIJING AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE PLAN IS THAT THERE WILL BE A VERY SMOOTH TRANSITION. AND I HOPE THAT THE DESIRES OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL BE RESPECTED BY MAINLAND CHINA.

QUESTION:

So, MR PRIME MINISTER, YOU DISMANTLING OF THE LEGISLATURE SYSTEM THEN, IN 1997?

·

SUPPORT

THE

PRIME MINISTER:

NO, I DON'T. I SAY THAT WE WANT TO HAVE A SYSTEM THAT WILL BE ACCEPTABLE BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. AND WE ARE NOT PART OF THE NEGOTIATIONS BUT I INSISTED WHEN I WAS IN BEIJING THAT THE INTERESTS OF EVERYBODY IS TO SEE A VERY SMOOTH TRANSITION AND THE PRIME MINISTER TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE PLANNING TO HAVE

AS SMOOTH A TRANSITION AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE THEY REALISE THAT HONG KONG HAS ΤΟ REMAIN AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DOOR FOR CHINA TO THE WORLD. THIS PLACE IS EXTREMELY WELL ORGANISED IN TERMS OF BUSINESS INSTITUTIONS AND So ON AND THEY SEE IT AS AN ASSET FOR THEM AND I CONCLUDED THAT IT IS NOT IN THEIR BEST INTERESTS TO DESTROY WHAT IS GOOD.

QUESTION:

(IN FRENCH)

PRIME MINISTER:

(IN FRENCH)

QUESTION:

PRIME MINISTER, ON THE HOME FRONT YOUR

YOU HAVE BROKEN THE BALLOT RECORD.

POPULARITY SEEMS TO BE SOARING

PRIME MINISTER:

QUESTION:

YOU KNOW

-

WHAT CAN I SAY BUT TO SMILE?

PRIME

MINISTER, DO YOU FORESEE ANY FURTHER REDUCTIONS IN IMMIGRATION QUOTAS FOR HONG KONG PEOPLE IN THE RUN UP TO 1997?

PRIME MINISTER:

WE DON'T HAVE QUOTAS FOR ANY PARTS OF CANADA. WE PROCESS THE APPLICATIONS THAT COME AND THERE WILL BE NO EFFECT AT ALL ON THE APPLICATIONS THAT ARE COMING FROM HONG KONG. OF COURSE THE DEMAND IS LESS BIG AND IT IS TRUE THERE WAS A KIND OF A BACKLOG - THAT HAS BEEN HANDLED AND THE FORECAST IS THAT THERE WILL BE NO CHANGE AND NO REAL EFFECT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO APPLY TO BECOME AN IMMIGRANT FROM HONG KONG.

QUESTION:

PROBLEM TO THEM?

PRIME MINISTER:

THE TOUGHER LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS WON'T BE A

THIS IS A PROPOSITION, IT IS NOT THE LAW YET. WE HAVE ΤΟ FIND

WE HAVE PROBLEMS, LIKE ANY COUNTRY, IN THE MANAGEMENT OF IMMIGRATION NEEDS AND AT THIS TIME THE MINISTER IS HAVING CONSULTATIONS AND THERE WILL BE LEGISLATION ΤΟ MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE REGULARLY, AND OF COURSE THE QUESTION OF LANGUAGE IS SOMETHING THAT IS OF SOME CONCERN WITHIN CANADA. HOW IT WILL BE MANAGED AT THE END OF THE PROCESS OF LEGISLATION, WE'LL SEE IT WHEN THE LAW IS PASSED.

/QUESTION: