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can be no question of rushing Parliament. So far as the British
Government is concerned it is Parliament which will make the final
decisions on Hong Kong's future.
The
We
16. Let me attempt to sum up. We realise that the unique circumstances of Hong Kong require imaginative solutions. territory is home to a highly individual community, which has evolved its own institutions and its own distinctive lifestyle.
want to see the essence of all this endure. We see our good
relations with China and our common interest in Hong Kong's stable
future as a basis on which to build the continuity of a society in
order to provide a secure home for its inhabitants and a major centre serving the world economy.
17. Our complex and difficult negotiations with the Chinese
Government continue. Although a good deal of progress has been made
we are still some way from an agreement. A number of important
points still have to be resolved. But we believe that on both sides there is a will and a commitment to overcome the remaining obstacles
and to achieve an agreement. Our aim is a binding agreement which
will secure a high degree of continuity for Hong Kong under Chinese sovereignty, which will preserve the essentials of the present system and way of life in Hong Kong, and which will ne acceptable to
the people of Hong Kong. It must be one which we can honourably
commend to Parliament.
Hong Kong Department
17 May 1984
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