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The Hong Kong Government very much regrets the developments which are taking place to establish a provisional legislature. We join the British Government in urging China to return as soon as possible to unambiguous implementation of the Joint Declaration, and to minimise the damage which a provisional legislature may cause. We call on the Chinese Government to honour the undertaking given by Vice Premier Qian Qichen to the Foreign Secretary in April that there will only be one legislative body operating prior to the handover and that any provisional legislature will not assume its functions before 1 July 1997.

Until 1 July 1997, Hong Kong's only constitutional legislature is the Legislative Council, elected openly and fairly by a record number of voters, and with a clear and legitimate mandate. We reaffirm our commitment to work with it. We will not do anything which will undermine its credibility or legitimacy.

End

Governor's transcript

Following is the transcript of the media session by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten after attending the International Salon of Photographic Exhibition this (Friday) afternoon:

Question: Mr Patten, the provisional legislature will be formed tomorrow, what is your opinion?

Governor: The British Government has put out a statement in the name of the Foreign Secretary. And the Hong Kong Government has also issued a statement endorsing Mr Rifkind's remarks. I think that tomorrow will be a sad and bad day for Hong Kong. I very much agree with what Mr Rifkind has said. If Chinese officials are seriously arguing that this is in compliance with the Joint Declaration, then the British Government has proposed that we should both of us go jointly to the International Court of Justice to ask for them to give an independent arbitration if Chinese officials think that they have got right on their side, then they have got nothing to worry about. So I would very much hope that they would join us in going to the international court. The British Government has also made it plain that it now intends to start reporting every six months to Parliament on the implementation of the Joint Declaration in Hong Kong on the protection of our civil liberties and the development of democracy as promised in the Joint Declaration. And it would make those reports available to the UN Treaty Monitoring bodies in Geneva. We've also said that we intend to work with the international community to ensure that there continues to be a focus of interests on Hong Kong, to ensure that Hong Kong has the best possible chance of remaining a free, as well as a prosperous society,