XN000022-1995-01-23 — Page 9

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Question: You've said that transitional matters will be on the agenda when you go to London this week. I seem to recall last year on one of those rare occasions when senior Chinese officials were not speaking directly to senior Hong Kong officials, you indicated that one appropriate subject for direct discussions might be on concrete arrangements for the ceremonies which will have to be held to mark the handover on the 30th June. I just wondered whether you have had any response from China on this issue or indeed any indication that the Chinese side intend to take part in any Hong Kong ceremony on that date?

Governor: There are aspects of that issue on which exchanges have taken place but we haven't yet connected across the range of issues affecting the actual transition with Chinese officials in the JLG, though I trust we will do so. Chinese officials are understandably concerned with issues of sovereignty and I'm sure will be concerned that the transfer of sovereignty is handled in as dignified a way as possible. And for both those reasons, I would imagine that in due course they would want to talk to us about those things. There are very practical matters involving the movement of the garrison in both directions. There are other matters about who's invited, who's there. Least important of course is the exact mode of departure of the 28th Governor.

Question: Governor, last week we heard you say very firmly that certain items would not be handed over to the Chinese in relation to civil service files but there was a piece in the paper this morning that was a bit confusing about that. Can you say as exactly as you can at the moment please, what it is that you are willing to handover to the Chinese and what things you are not willing to handover to the Chinese until what you regard is the appropriate moment? I know you've said this many times but there was this impression in the paper this morning that somehow there was some kind of rethink or something. If it's the same as last week, you can just say it's the same as last week.

Governor: It's the same as last week. But I do hope that we can, as it were, continue the discussion in the JLG. I don't think that either Director Lu or myself would want this discussion to continue at a high decibel count in public. I think both of us would recognise that it's unsettling for civil servants. Complicated and sensitive issues become the playthings of propaganda departments, which doesn't, I suspect, help to resolve them in a sophisticated, flexible, compassionate way and I hope that we can carry the discussions forward now in the JLG without any more statements being made which unsettle civil servants.

Question: You talked of 'manned' and then added womaned' and I wondered if I might offer you the word 'staffed'. Can I also perhaps offer you the word `business people' instead of the word 'businessmen' or 'businessman'. But that hasn't to do with my question.