TNAG-1341-FCO40-17721-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1985 — Page 156

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I should also like to pay warm tribute to the

exemplary manner in which the Hong Kong Public Service

continued to perform its duties, and to the patience and

forebearance of the people of Hong Kong as a whole. It

cannot have been easy to live with the knowledge that the

whole future of the Territory and its people was being

discussed, as it had to be, in conditions of confidentiality.

We felt deeply the responsibilities of the trust that they

placed in us.

One task has been completed with the signing of the

Joint Declaration, but this is not the end. The Agreement

on its own cannot ensure a successful future for Hong Kong.

So much lies, as it has always done, in your own hands. You,

the Hong Kong people, have earned the respect of the entire

world for the astonishing success story which you have written.

You contributed resilience, imagination and sheer hard work.

Above all, you have shown the courage to adapt to changing

circumstances.

We have over 12 years to prepare together for the

changes which lie ahead, I believe you will rise to the

challenge and that the spirit, the enterprise, and the

prosperity of Hong Kong will flourish and will endure.