XN000022-1996-04-11 — Page 6

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Question: How do you feel about the issue on the civil service in Hong Kong? There seems to be some pressure there...?

Chris Patten: In a full and open society, the civil service is politically neutral. The civil service in Hong Kong is loyal to Hong Kong. It works for the interests of the people of Hong Kong. Not to understand that is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of a free society and the nature of public service in a free society.

As far as I am concerned, I have no doubt at all that the civil service will be loyal to the government before 1997 and loyal to the government after 1997, and if anybody didn't feel they could give that loyalty, I am sure that they would reach the inevitable conclusions around their professional lives. But I have no doubt whatsoever that the Hong Kong civil service will remain as loyal in the future as it has been in the past. I think it is very dangerous to suggest otherwise.

Question: What effect have the Taiwanese presidential elections had, or what effect do you think they will have on the future of Hong Kong and the Chinese treaty?

Chris Patten: It's difficult to know for certain, but let me make one rather obvious point. It has sometimes been said by analysts that the way China treats Hong Kong will affect Taiwan's attitude to Beijing. It has often been said that the one country/two systems model, if successfully applied in Hong Kong, will send out appropriate signals to Taiwan. It has been said by analysts and it has actually been said by senior Chinese officials (I think I am right that President Jiang Zemin said it when he met a group of Hong Kong businessmen a few months ago). If that's true, it may well be the case that the relationship between Beijing and Taiwan has some effect on attitudes in Hong Kong. I merely pose the question and hope that Chinese officials think it true

too.

Question: Are you confident that you will manage to find agreement over the handover ceremony? At the moment it seems that China is not going to listen to the British Government's desire and want to scale down the proposed handover ceremony that was suggested.

Chris Patten: It is inconceivable that we can spend the next year and a quarter arguing or debating with China about a handover ceremony. Mr Qian Qichen, when he met Mr Rifkind last autumn, said that we should have a handover ceremony which was 'grand, solemn and decent', and I think that such a handover ceremony would be in the interests of the future SAR government in Hong Kong.