TNAG-1753-FCO40-2473-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1988 — Page 55

ARZADT(2)

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CONCLUDING PASSAGE FOR WIND-UP SPEECH

Let me sum up by underlining three points:

First, no one should doubt the strength of our commitment to Hong Kong's future prosperity and our determination to discharge our responsibilities to the full. Three years after the signing of the Joint Declaration, the commitment of both signatories to the principles it enshrines are as strong as ever. The Joint Declaration was and is an excellent agreement for Hong Kong and we are on course to achieve its full and faithful implementation.

Secondly, I should like to pay tribute to the talent and energies of the people of Hong Kong, whose efforts have helped to sustain the territory's continued success story. Hong Kong has chalked up its third successive year of double digit growth, the fruits of unashamedly free enterprise system which allows hard work,

It is a success innovation and ingenuity to be fully rewarded. formula which the Joint Declaration

designed to preserve.

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and the draft Basic Law

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are

Of course there are

Finally, let me conclude by saying this. doubts and uncertainties about the future. Of course Hong Kong is

passing through uncharted waters. And of course there can be no cast iron guarantees about the future. We must pay careful attention to the concerns that are voiced in Hong Kong, and do all we can to meet them. But, I believe that Hong Kong is well equipped

to face the future with confidence. There is

a detailed and internationally recognised agreement on its future, elaborating principles which I am confident will be satisfactorily enshrined in the Basic Law;

better than ever relations between Britain and China, working together on the basis of a joint commitment to the future prosperity and stability of the territory;

an experienced and dedicated local administration;

and above all Hong Kong's greatest asset: the resilience and adaptability of its people.

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