TNAG-1749-FCO40-2468-Visit-by-Sir-Geoffrey-Howe--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-a-1988 — Page 123

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IN LONDON, COULD BE FORGIVEN AT TIMES FOR MISSING THAT WIDER PICTURE. BAD NEWS SELLS NEWSPAPERS BETTER THAN GOOD NEWS, AND

THERE ARE A LOT OF NEWSPAPERS HERE.

SOMETIMES WE SEE A PICTURE OF A HONG KONG QUAKING IN ITS BOOTS,

STARTING AT EVERY SOUND, FEARFUL TO FACE THE FUTURE.

IT'S NOT A PICTURE WHICH I READILY RECOGNISE, LOOKING AROUND ME HERE.

I THINK IT IS WORTH CASTING ONE'S MIND BACK TO THE HONG KONG OF

1983 WHEN I FIRST BECAME FOREIGN SECRETARY. AT THAT TIME THE FUTURE CONTAINED ONLY ONE CERTAINTY: THAT UNDER THE LEASE MORE THAN 90 PERCENT OF HONG KONG WOULD REVERT TO CHINA IN 1997.

WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE THEN. THE JOINT DECLARATION WAS

HAILED IN THE WORLD'S PRESS AS A MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT.

COMMENTARIES WERE BULLISH, SOMETIMES EVEN EUPHORIC DENG XIAOPING'S IMAGINATIVE CONCEPT OF TWO SYSTEMS WITHIN ONE COUNTRY

WIDELY SEEN AS A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA WITH A

WAS

-

AND IS

Ch

POTENTIAL GOING FAR WIDER THAN HONG KONG.

SO WHERE ARE WE FOUR YEARS ON? SOME SAY THAT AFTER THE JOINT DECLARATION BRITAIN WASHED ITS HANDS OF HONG KONG. NOTHING

COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. WE SHALL UPHOLD OUR

OBLIGATIONS TO HONG KONG. OUR COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG, TRANSITION, AND ITS FUTURE WILL LAST AS LONG AS THE JOINT

DECLARATION ITSELF.

ITS

AND THAT DECLARATION REMAINS AS STRONG A FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE AS EVER. IN THE MEANTIME DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CHINESE HAVE CONTINUED INTENSIVELY IN THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. VERY

GREAT SUCCESSES HAVE BEEN REGISTERED:

PARTICIPATION IN OTHER

AGREEMENT ON HONG KONG'S SEPARATE MEMBERSHIP OF GATT

AGREEMENT ON HONG KONG'S

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

-

CONTINUED

WIDE-RANGING AGREEMENTS ON TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

- ON AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS

ON CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS.

IN EVERY CASE WE SECURED WHAT WAS NEEDED TO ENSURE HONG KONG'S FUTURE. THE SAME IS TRUE IN THE LAND COMMISSION. AND THE

PROCESS GOES ON.

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