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Hong Kong
(6 DECEMBER 1993]
nsfer of sovereignty in 1997 and in the long-term prosperity of Hong Kong. Above all, there must be anxiety about the great risks that are being taken with the future of the people of Hong Kong and their wish for an open and democratic system.
Lord Bonham-Carter: My Lords, I should like to join the noble Baroness, Lady Blackstone, in thanking the Minister for repeating the Statement made by his right honourable friend in another place.
In these circumstances it is easy to be wise after the event. We on these Benches have always supported Mr. Patten's initiative and we maintain that position. Of course it would have been better had democratisation been initiated at an earlier date, but that was not the position which faced the Governor when he took up
his post. I take the view that it is better late than never.
We have to face up squarely to the very weak negotiating position in which we find ourselves. Our ability to find our way through the position which the Statement describes so frankly and vividly depends on our ability to convince the Chinese of the importance to them of the prosperity of Hong Kong, the degree to which they see that that prosperity depends on the rule of law in that city state, and the extent to which they are prepared to allow two systems to co-exist. There is no real leverage which we can exercise unless we can convince them of those elementary and crucial factors. In looking at the position in which we find ourselves today we have to confront úlose serious facts.
There are two other points which I should like to raise. The Chinese position affects their standing in the world, to which they are sensitive. That standing was not improved by Tiananmen Square. It is not improved by what is happening in Tibet. It has not been improved by their response at the APEC meeting to President Clinton's approach to them on human rights. In that connection I should like to ask the Minister whether we can be confident that we and the United States Government stand four-square on the position of Hong Kong and what their position is in relation to Hong Kong. It will not be improved if China remains intransigent about Hong Kong and the proposals which Governor Patten has made. They do not wish to stand alone against the tide of events in the 20th century. I do not believe that they want to jeopardise the main conduit for investment into Southern China which is transforming that whole area.
Of course we must be prepared to compromise in the negotiations, as in any negotiations, but it takes two to negotiate. If someone refuses to negotiate there is not very much that the other party can do. However, I do not believe that we should be prepared to compromise too far on the way that the legislature is elected because the rule of law depends on that.
I should like to mention the importance of the position adopted by the business community in Hong Kong. It is essential that there should be no split between business and the democratic movement within Hong Kong. The business community should be encouraged to stand behind the position adopted by the Governor. It seems to me that it has not been good news that Mr. Murdoch has sold his paper in Hong Kong to
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someone who, it is generally believed, will not support the governor but will support Beijing. We can only hope that other businessmen do not behave in the same fashion.
Lord Henley: My Lords, perhaps I may respond to the two Opposition Front Bench speakers first before I take questions from other noble Lords.
I welcome the partial support that we received from the noble Baroness, Lady Blackstone, and the Labour Benches and the more fulsome support from the noble Lord, Lord Bonham-Carter, although he much regretted that events had not occurred earlier. However, I believe that he answered the question himself when he said that we have to start from where we are. That was the position that the Governor was in.
Very simply, the noble Baroness, Lady Blackstone, asked why we could not obtain an agreement, and what hope there was for future discussions. She stated that this was bad news for Her Majesty's Government and for Hong Kong. It is certainly not due to lack of effort or lack of willingness on the part of Her Majesty's Government. Her Majesty's Government have negotiat- ed with the Chinese Government on many occasions. Nor has there been any lack of willingness on the part of Her Majesty's Government-again I stress the point to compromise. In the end one has to ask the Chinese authorities why there has been failure. I believe the noble Baroness answered those questions herself in part by saying that there was a degree of intrautiges on the part of the Chinese.
We believe that we need a system which recognises the genuine aspirations for democratic government of the people of Hong Kong and which allows further development post-1997. We believe that it is our plain duty to administer Hong Kong to the best of our ability up until 1997. That obviously includes those elections. We believe that the proposals which Governor Patten has put forward respond to those aspirations.
With regard to hope of future discussions, the Chinese Government themselves have a strong interest in a smooth transfer of power in 1997. The Chinese Government have a strong interest in a democratic and prosperous Hong Kong. We believe that if the arrangements then in place are working well and are consistent with the Joint Declaration and Basic Law, as we believe that they are, we cannot see why they should be changed. We cannot see why it is in the interests of the Chinese so to change them. Again, I stress the points made by the noble Lord, Lord Bonham-Carter, as regards China's position with the remainder of the world community. I do not believe that China's position will be in any way improved by the authorities' intransigence on such matters.
Perhaps I may say a few words on the airport issues upon which the noble Baroness touched. Our views are that those matters are quite different and should be dealt with separately and on their merits. We believe that the Chinese officials have frequently said exactly the same thing. I think that everyone agrees that Hong Kong needs a new airport if it is to remain an international trade and financial centre. The Hong Kong Government will be getting on with work on the airport where
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