VERBATIM SERVICE
VS 076/84
THURSDAY 9 AUGUST 1984
PRODUCED BY LONDON PRESS SERVICE, CENTRAL OFFICE OF INFORMATION
SIR GEOFFREY HOWE: HONG KONG PRESS CONFERENCE
FOLLOWING IS THE TEXT OF THE STATEMENT MADE BY THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH SECRETARY SIR GEOFFREY HOWE AT HIS HONG KONG PRESS CONFERENCE, TOGETHER WITH SUBSEQUENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON 1 AUGUST:
FOREIGN SECRETARY
WHEN I WAS IN HONG KONG LAST WEEK, I SAID THAT I WOULD KEEP YOU INFORMED ABOUT THE NEGOTIATIONS IN PEKING Ι KNOW VERY WELL HOW CRUCIAL THEY ARE FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, SO I WELCOME THIS CHANCE TO BRING YOU UP-TO-DATE.
MY VISIT TO PEKING WAS DEVOTED ALMOST ENTIRELY TO THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG I WAS ABLE TO HAVE LONG DISCUSSIONS WITH FOREIGN MINISTER WU XUEQIAN PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG AND CHAIRMAN TENG HSIA-PING.
THE PURPOSE OF MY VISIT WAS TO REVIEW PROGRESS IN THE NEGOTIATIONS TO MAKE REAL HEADWAY ON THE REMAINING ISSUES,
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AND
ABOVE ALL TO STRIVE FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE RESULT FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. THAT IS MY OVERRIDING OBJECTIVE.
I AM GLAD TO SAY THAT VERY SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS HAS BEEN
MADE.
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WE HAVE AGREED FIRST THE FRAMEWORK AND KEY CLAUSES OF AN AGREEMENT WHICH WILL PRESERVE HONG KONG'S UNIQUE ECONOMIC SYSTEM AND WAY OF LIFE.
SECONDLY, THAT THIS AGREEMENT AND ITS ANNEXES WILL ALL BE LEGALLY
BINDING
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THIRDLY SATISFACTORY PROVISION FOR LIAISON AND CONSULTATION AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE AGREEMENT.
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IN ADDITION THE ARRANGEMENTS THAT WILL APPLY TO HONG KONG FOR 50 YEARS AFTER 1997 WILL BE PRESCRIBED WITH SUFFICIENT CLARITY AND PRECISION TO COMMAND THE CONFIDENCE OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE, WORK,
TRADE AND INVEST THERE.
THIS PROGRESS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE UNLESS THE TWO SIDES HAD APPROACHED THEIR TASK WITH STATESMANSHIP AND DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED. THE CONCEPT OF ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS, IS A FAR SIGHTED ONE AND HOLDS TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL FOR THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG.
A GOOD DEAL STILL REMAINS TO BE DONE IN ORDE TO COVER ALL THE ASPECTS OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC SYSTEM AND WAY
OF LIFE, WHICH I DESCRIBED IN MY STATEMENT IN APRIL THERE ARE MATTERS OF SUBSTANCE TO BE SETTLED THE NEGOTIATORS WILL CONTINUE THEIR WORK.
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT WILL WANT TO JUDGE THE AGREEMENT AS A WHOLE AT THE END OF THE NEGOTIATIONS., SO TOO, WILL THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.
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BUT ALREADY I CAN TELL YOU THAT HONG KONG CAN LOOK FORWARD WITH CONFIDENCE TO AN AGREEMENT WHICH WILL CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING ESSENTIAL PROVISIONS:
ΙΤ WILL PRESERVE HONG KONG'S FAMILIAR LEGAL SYSTEM AND THE BODY OF LAWS ENFORCED IN HONG KONG. BY THAT I MEAN THE COMMON LAW, RULES OF EQUITY ORDNANCES SUBORDINATE LEGISLATION AND CUSTOMARY LAW. WITHIN THAT GENERAL FRAMEWORK POWER TO MAKE LAWS WILL CONTINUE
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