TNAG-2714-FCO40-3920-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 10

14-JUL-1993 14:35

Gallagher

TRANSCRIPT

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MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD

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0491 579838

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SELECT COMMITTEE 14 JULY 93

CHAIRMAN:

you this.

We have had

Thank you Minister, you raise a number of both broad and more

specific issues and we shall want to come to these in due course.

However, I would like to start with a question of strategy and ask

You speak in your opening statement about Britain's

essential requirements in our discussions with China.

Can you

explain to us in more detail why these are essential?

memoranda put already to this committee by a number of people

saying that the most essential thing is to avoid a quarrel with

China and to hand over Hong Kong in a smooth and amicable

atmosphere, and the critics have said that the pursuit of the

requirements that you have described may not lead to that

atmosphere, and therefore has there been a proper balance between

the gains and losses of pursuing the policy you have described and

the policy being pursued by Governor Patten in Hong Kong. So

could you explain to us more vividly what the gains are and why this is our strategic requirement?

MR GOODLAD:

Yes. The requirements which I referred to in the talks were the so-called through train and the necessity that any arrangements agreed between this country and China for presentation to the Legislative Council should be open, fair and acceptable to the people of Hong Kong, as opposed to secret, unfair and unacceptable to the people of Hong Kong. I think that it is very important for the future stability and prosperity of Hong Kong that those criteria are met because in the Joint Declaration in 1984 we agreed