TNAG-2714-FCO40-3920-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 4

14-JUL-1993 14:33

TRANSCRI PT

Gallagher

MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD

Fe

0491 579838

P.01

SELECT COMMITTER

14 JULY 93

pa. FAL

1

FROM EGMG FOR COI RADIO TECHNICAL SERVICES

TRANSCRIPT OF EVI DENCE

51

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GIVEN BY THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH MINISTER OF STATE,

MR ALASTAIR GOODLAD

bod is EFS

Ms Modefi Miss faustaden 16/7

IN LONDON

ON WEDNESDAY, 14 JULY 1993

Par pazer &

FAC hearing

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CHAIRMAN:

бас

May we welcome you, very warmly, Minister, and thank you for

coming to us at this opening session of our enquiry into relations

I understand that between the UK and China up to and beyond 1997.

you want to make an opening statement which I think is going to be

mainly related to Hong Kong and perhaps I should just say, before

inviting you to do that, that our enquiry of course addresses the

Hong Kong issue as central to our broader interests because not

only are the political issues relating to the future stability of

Hong Kong, which we very much wish to see, absolutely vital to us,

but aside from that Hong Kong is and is clearly going to be the

hub of the gigantic economic expansion of the whole so-called

China economic area. Therefore, for those two reasons the Hong

Kong matters are central and vital to our enquiry and our

interests. I thought I would make that statement because there

seems to be some misunderstanding that has arisen as to what part

matters concerning Hong Kong are going to play in our enquiry and

the answer is they are very central indeed.

HKB RECE

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