XN000022-1995-01-12 — Page 8

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Level playing field essential to commercial life

Suggestions that Hong Kong should have something other than a level playing field are just not acceptable, the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, said today (Thursday) when responding to media questions on the case of Container Terminal No. 9 (CT9).

"If we allow that to happen, then it will have very serious implications for commercial life here in Hong Kong and for international confidence in Hong Kong," he said.

Speaking to the media after visiting Yuen Long district, Mr Patten said the Government had proceeded in the case of CT9 in the best interests of Hong Kong, trying to get the development moving forward as rapidly as possible.

"But we think that the way the issue's been discussed by some others does unfortunately affect the integrity of our system in Hong Kong. And it suggests that we should have something other than a level playing field for doing business and that's just not acceptable," he added.

"I am not going to do anything nor is the Chief Secretary which will undermine, or potentially undermine investors' confidence in Hong Kong. We can't conceivably have a position in Hong Kong in which the Government makes decisions on the grounds of political correctness."

Asked to comment on the closure of the Overseas Chinese Daily News, the Governor said everyone was sad to see a newspaper close down and he very much hoped that Hong Kong would continue to have the freest and most vigorous press in the region.

"It is your job to probe and to question and to find out what's going on and then to tell the truth as accurately and fearlessly as possible. When you have that sort of press, when the media behave like that, then you have a free society and you have an open society and frankly you have a successful society," he said.