XN000022-1996-12-21+22 — Page 2

Governor's transcript

Following is the transcript of the media session by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, after attending the North District Pet Show at Fanling Recreation Ground this (Saturday) morning:

Question: Governor, Qian Qichen said that Britain lacked the courage to face the reality, and the statement is nothing new, so what is your response?

Governor: Let's us be clear what reality is. Reality is over a million people in Hong Kong voted for the present Legislative Council and up over the border now, four hundred people, four hundred in a bizarre farce are voting for a so-called "provisional legislature" that is the reality. Over a million in Hong Kong voting for a decent Legislative Council and four hundred voting for one another in these bizarre scene in Shenzhen. I'll tell what else is reality. Reality is that the people of Hong Kong were promised that they would have step by step democracy here, they were promised by China as well as Britain. Britain has lived up to its share of that bargain, we'll see whether the China does. I'll tell you what else the reality is. The reality is also that Britain has said to China, okay, if you think what you are doing is in line with the Joint Declaration, why don't you have the courage to go with us to the International Court of Justice and ask for independent arbitration. If China won't do that, the world will draw the obvious conclusion. I'll tell you what the other reality is. The other reality is simply this Hong Kong is a first world economy which some Chinese mainland officials are trying to get to accept the sort of political institutions which third world countries would find unacceptable. That is the other reality. So I think that if we can start talking about reality in Hong Kong, those are the realities that some Chinese officials should face up to.

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Question: Mr Patten, Qian Qichen also said the British's statement issued yesterday was helpless, is Britain helpless?

Governor: I think that what Mr Qian should be asking is whether some people in Hong Kong feel helpless. If they have this sort of institution produced to the farcical procedures foist upon them. I don't actually think that people in Hong Kong are helpless. And I'll tell you why, because among other things, the whole world is watching what's happening over the border this weekend. The whole world is watching what is going to happen in Hong Kong and the whole world wants to see Hong Kong remain not helpless, it wants to see Hong Kong remain a free, open, successful society. Britain is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that happens and will be continuing well beyond 1997 to ensure that the international community not helplessly, but the international community watches it very closely, what happens in Hong Kong. One more.