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themselves to new conditions, abrupt changes of the present status would only be detrimental to the interests of Britain, China and HK; Britain and China should give our people a longer period of prosperity and stability; Mr. Shum Choi-sang said if Beijing genuinely wished to maintain the prosperity and stability of HK the best way to alter our present social system as little as possible, including the judicial administration, economic structure, labour/management relations and the system of private ownership. Miss Cecilia Yeung said HK must train enough people to be ready to meet the call of Government by local people by 1997 and suggested a municipal university be set up; Mr. Forsgate called on the public to keep up their confidence and make known their views during the course of the discussions; and Mrs. Elsie Elliott said HK should put its own house in order and the future would take care of itself. A SCMP leader said those who spoke seemed confident of their ability to cope with whatever solution China and Britain decided; the lack of experience of government worried some members, for it was true that as a colony we had not had to worry about self-government. The debate came, said the Post, as a heartening sign that HK people were beginning to view the future more soberly and with greater realism and faith than in the past.
The Ta Kung Pao Weekly Supplement, which appeared on 13 January, published extracts from the speeches, leading off with that of the chairman. The longest extract though was from the speech of Dr. Denny Huang, who said HK could not rely for ever on the colonial administration because the tide had turned and colonialism would sooner or later be buried. In the same issue, there was an article by Gerald Chen entitled "1997 worries are illusory". A copy is attached.
4.
BRITISH INDUSTRY SECRETARY IN HK:
The media reported the visit of Britain's Secretary of State for Industry, Mr. Patrick Jenkin, with the SCMP Business News of 11 January commenting that his 14-day visit to the Far East carried political overtones for HK as well as commercial hopes for the UK. He would attempt to close a deal with the Bank of China and CLP on a British role in the £2.3 billion nuclear power station in Guangdong province. The Chinese were reported to favour Anglo-French engineering for the plant, but Mr. Jenkin was quoted saying he expected the Chinese to strike a hard bargain. The SCMP said the joint project between China and HK could strengthen HK's status as Western banker to Beijing as talks on the future of the NT took on growing momentum.
Mr. Jenkin was reported saying that Britain's trading links with HK must continue to provide the foundation for the wider constitutional and political relationships to which both parties attached so much importance. He re-affirmed the British Government's continuing commitment to the future of the territory and its continuing stability and prosperity. He wanted to see the links between Britain and HK remain close. The Standard commented that, although Mr. Jenkin had reiterated Britain's commitment to the continued stability and prosperity of HK, he made no reference to the current talks on the future.
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