TNAG-1373-FCO40-1819-Ministerial-visits-from-the-UK-to-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 155

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QUESTION

Nrs. Thatcher, do you think that the principle

one country-two systems will be as successful in relation

to Taiwan as in Hong Kong?

PRINE MINISTER

I have no locus on Taiwan!

QUESTION

Mrs. Thatcher, you are reported to have said in

Peking that Deng Xiaoping laid down a time limit to these

negotiations being completed. Do you feel that Britain

was rushed into signing this Agreement?

PRIME MINISTER

I think the No, we were not rushed into signing it.

full amount of the detail demonstrates that. I do think

that when you have a target like that you do get decisions

because you are up against a time limit, but equally, you

get the extra attention and the total concentration which we

had, and I believe, as I indicated when we started these negotiations, that it would be beneficial for Hong Kong to get an agreement, so that people had confidence in what was going to happen after 1997 and, of course, we were already under pressure because of some of the land transactions, and therefore we did need urgently to work towards an agreement and I am very glad that we took that decision and very pleased

with the Agreement.