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WE MUST NOT ALLOW THAT CONTAGION TO SPREAD. INSTEAD, WE SHOULD BEAR MR CHAN KAM-CHEUN'S ADVICE IN MIND: ''THE ONLY (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) TRUE INFORMATION WILL BE THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS MADE FROM TIME TO TIME ARISING FROM THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) OFFICIAL SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON OUR
FUTURE''.
34. I BELIEVE THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL LOOK AT THE SITUATION AS IT UNFOLDS IN ITS PROPER PERSPECTIVE. THEY WILL RECALL THE JOINT STATEMENT ISSUED AFTER THE PRIME MINISTER'S MEETING WITH CHAIRMAN DENG XIAOPING. THIS REFERRED TO THE DISCUSSIONS WITH CHINESE LEADERS WHICH HAD TAKEN PLACE IN A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE'' AND ANNOUNCED THE AGREEMENT REACHED TO ENTER INTO TALKS THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS, FOLLOWING THE VISIT WITH THE COMMON AIM OF MAINTAINING THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG''. NO-ONE SHOULD UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT
COMMON OBJECTIVE.
35. YOU SAID IN YOUR ADDRESS, SIR, THAT GIVEN THE COMMON OBJECTIVE, YOU SHARED THE PRIME MINISTER'S BELIEF THAT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES COULD BE RECONCILED AND THAT AN AGREEMENT COULD BE REACHED WHICH WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS AND WHICH WOULD BE WELCOMED BY THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. MR CHAN KAM-CHEUN GAVE US A TIMELY REMINDER OF SOME OF THE REASONS FOR FAITH IN THE OUTCOME OF THE TALKS IN PEKING. PRE-EMINENT AMONGST THEM IS THE OVERWHELMING MUTUAL INTEREST OF ALL CONCERNED IN THE CONTINUING PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF THIS PLACE. IF THAT PROSPERITY AND THAT STABILITY WERE TO BE UNDERMINED NO-ONE WOULD
BENEFIT HERE OR ELSEWHERE.
36. AS MR WONG LAM RIGHTLY POINTED OUT, THE KEY TO CONTINUING PROSPERITY IS CONFIDENCE. THE CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY DEFINES CONFIDENCE, WHICH IS A MENTAL ATTITUDE AS, ''FIRM TRUST, ASSURED EXPECTATION''. TRANSLATED INTO HONG KONG TERMS, CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE INVOLVES HAVING AN EXPECTATION THAT FAMILIAR, PREDICTABLE AND WELL TRIED SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND LEGAL SYSTEMS WILL NOT BE DISTURBED, FOR THEY HAVE BEEN THE FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH HONG KONG HAS EMERGED AS A MODERN DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY, A MAJOR FORCE IN WORLD TRADE AND A FINANCIAL CENTRE OF GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE. 37. I SAID EARLIER THAT WE NEEDED TO RETAIN A SENCE OF PERSPECTIVE. DR RAYSON HUANG NOTED THAT WE HAVE LIVED WITH AND TRIUMPHED OVER ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY BEFORE. MISS DUNN REMINDED US THAT ''DURING THE PAST 40 YEARS OUR STABILITY AND PROSPERITY HAVE BEEN THREATENED, AND INDEED IMPAIRED, ON MANY OCCASIONS''. YET THOSE QUALITIES WHICH DISTINGUISH HONG KONG PEOPLE HAVE ENSURED
OUR SURVIVAL.
38. STEADY NERVES WILL BE REQUIRED OF ALL OF US OVER THE COMING MONTHS. AND WE MUST ALL WORK TOGETHER IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF MUTUAL TRUST. THE GOVERNMENT WILL PLAY ITS PART THROUGH THE CONSULTATIVE SYSTEM AND PARTICULARLY BY WORKING IN CLOSE CONCERT WITH UNOFFICIAL
MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS.
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39. AND AS YOU SAID, SIR, THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST VIGOROUSLY IN THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG AND ITS PEOPLE' I NEED
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