STEVE CHIN (HKU): IT IS A GOOD THING THAT BRITAIN AND CHINA HAVE
A COMMON OBJECTIVE TO MAINTAIN THE TERRITORY'S PROSPERITY AND
STABILITY. IT IS HOPED THERE WILL BE US AND JAPANESE INVOLVEMENT
IN AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT FOR HONG KONG.
HU CHU-REN (PAI SHING SEMI-MONTHLY): THERE ARE INADEQUATE GUARANTEES
THAT THE FUTURE AGREEMENT FOR HONG KONG WILL BE HONOURED. THE US
AND JAPAN SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE FUTURE AGREEMENT ON THE
TERRITORY.
YU PING-HOI (HONG KONG OBSERVERS): THE AGREEMENT SHOULD INCLUDE
CONCRETE ARRANGEMENTS FOR ANY CHANGES IN HONG KONG IN THE FUTURE.
DR WONG KAM-CHOW (CU LECTURER): SIR GEOFFREY HAS DISCLOSED
BRITAIN'S LATEST POSITION ON THE HONG KONG ISSUE. IT IS BELIEVED
THAT THE DEMOCRATISATION PROCESS IN HONG KONG WOULD BE SPEEDED UP
BEFORE 1997.
ANTHONY LAWRENCE (JOURNALIST): SIR GEOFFREY HOWE SIMPLY SPELT OUT
AGAIN THE THINGS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR HONG KONG'S CONTINUED
PROSPERITY AND STABILITY. THE PRESS CONFERENCE WAS AN ANTI-CLIMAX AS
RESIDENTS HAD HIGH HOPES THAT THE FOREIGN SECRETARY WOULD ANNOUNCE
SOMETHING NEW ON THE TERRITORY'S FUTURE. SIR GEOFFREY HAS NOT
BEEN ABLE TO ASSURE HONG KONG PEOPLE AND PUT RESIDENTS' HEARTS MORE
AT EASE. THE IMPRESSION I GOT IS THAT THERE IS A LONG WAY TO GO
BEFORE AN AGREEMENT IS REACHED. THE FOREIGN SECRETARY HAS A VERY
GOOD IDEA OF HOW HONG KONG PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.
THE BIGGEST GUARANTEE ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE SUGGESTED BY SIR
GEOFFREY IS THAT BOTH SIDES HAVE A SELF INTEREST IN MAKING THE
AGREEMENT WORK. SIR GEOFFREY DODGED THE QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY.
HE DID NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CHINESE EXERCISING AND DIRECTING
THE FOREIGN POLICY OF HONG KONG AND WENT ON TO THE ECONOMIC SIDE. SIR GEOFFREY'S REMARK THAT IT WOULD BE IN THE INTERESTS OF BOTH
SIDES FOR AN AGREEMENT TO BE REACHED AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE LEADS ONE TO ASSUME THAT SOMETHING ON HONG KONG'S FUTURE WOULD BE SAID IN SEPTEMBER.
DR JOSEPH CHENG (FORMER CU LECTURER): THERE IS HARDLY ANYTHING NEW IN SIR GEOFFREY'S STATEMENT. WHAT HE HAS SAID HAS BEEN REPEATED TIME AND AGAIN IN THE PAST BY CHINA. HIS STATEMENT IS JUST A REAFFIRMATION OF CHINA'S SELF-RULE PROPOSAL FOR HONG KONG, BUT THIS TIME NOT BY THE CHINESE SIDE SUT BY THE BRITISH SIDE.
TV AND RADIO COVERAGE
THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S PRESS CONFERENCE IN HONG KONG WAS 3ROAD-
CAST LIVE BY ALL TV AND RADIO STATIONS. THE STORY WAS THE LEAD ITEM
IN ALL NEWS BROADCASTS FROM MIDDAY.
/COMMERCIAL
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