TNAG-1373-FCO40-1819-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 137

iBg cc. Deste thang & do faland

ever outle

V

?

1) catte all oferis.

Transcript by ::) evne that startal

JANES LEE of:

le

suplanation log. or regular

Ribarity debates) (The

tis it account.

Car

{

for Hom

rather wet questions on In

Wada. The sidelined) an

pps 9/10, 11 a 2y wert

Glacy

al

2. pa

15-27712

15

ว

AKK 040/57.

307/1

PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY THE PRIME MINISTER,

MRS. THATCHER, IN HONG KONG, ON FRIDAY,

DECEMBER 21, 1984

PRIME MINISTER

This Press Conference is my last public engagement

the long way

in Hong Kong before I fly home for Christmas

round this time, in order to see President Reagan.

As you know, I have just been in Peking and my purpose in going was to sign the Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong and to talk personally with Chinese leaders both about Hong Kong and about the key issues of

world affairs.

It is

I said in Peking that the Agreement we have signed

with China about Hong Kong is an historic document. indeed. It is the culmination of two years' long and often hard negotiation, and it is the beginning of a new period in

Hong Kong's history.

The first point I wish to make about this Agreement is that it assures the continuation of Hong Kong as a free trading capitalist society for a very long time to come

into the middle of the next century.

This means that Hong

I believe Chairman

Kong can plan long-term with confidence.

Deng intends his bold concept of one country-two systems to

last.