TNAG-2032-FCO40-2895-Visit-by-Douglas-Hurd--Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Co-1990 — Page 80

FROM

FOREIGN SEC:

SPRRCH

HONG KONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCI 15 JANUARY 1990

-17--

QUESTION:

(Extremely difficult to understand, but question regarding

continued British interest in Hong Kong after 1997)

FOREIGN SECRETARY:

One of the points I have been trying to make today is that

our interest in Hong Kong will not cease in 1997. I am not talking

about the Joint Declaration; I am talking about our sympathies,

our involvement and our energy and one of the poiuts I was trying to

make is the back-up, the build-up, which we propose for our

representation here.

I think it will be a matter of natural interest as well as

sympathy that throughout this decade and for a long long time - for

ever I hope there will be a substantial continuing Britisb

interest and sympathy with Hong Kong.

QUESTION:

Ir. Foreign Secretary, three years ago there was some

expectation here that there might be a 100 percent directly-elected

legislature.

It is possible to converge from that direction with

China as well. Why can this not be done?

F. 17