KONG AND CHINA COULD IN FACT BE HAMPERED IF THERE WAS TOO MUCH DEMOCRACY. I DON'T SHARE THAT VIEW AND YOU CAN TAKE IT FROM ME THAT I WILL BE TRYING TO PERSUADE THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE TO TRY AND EXPRESS SOMETHING ABOUT THAT VIEW IN A REPORT ON THE WAY IN WHICH SOME OF THE FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES CAN BE MANIPULATED BY INTERESTS WHICH Although VERY IMPORTANT TO THE ECONOMY OF HONG KONG, MAY WELL NOT BE IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE AS A WHOLE, AND EVEN IN THE LONG TERM INTERESTS OF BUSINESS, THEY COULD IN FACT BE DETRIMENTAL, BECAUSE I. TAKE THE VIEW THAT THE BEST ENVIRONMENT FOR BUSINESS TO FLOURISH IS IN A STABLE DEMOCRACY.
MR HOWELL:
COULD WE HEAR MR JOPLING NOW, PLEASE.
MR JOPLING:
I JUST WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT THE QUESTION ABOUT BOTTOM- LINE THAT WE HAD EARLIER. IF YOU ARE CONDUCTING AN INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATION, THE ONE THING YOU CANNOT AND MUST NEVER DO IS TO SHARE IT IN MIDSTREAM WITH EITHER THE MEDIA OR WITH BACKBENCH MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, BECAUSE THEN YOUR BOTTOM LINE IS IMMEDIATELY PULLED AWAY FROM YOU AND THAT IS JUST EXACTLY THE WAY NOT TO NEGOTIATE. AND THEREFORE WE HAVE NOT BEEN INDELICATE ENOUGH TO ASK WHAT BOTTOM-LINES weke, TO WHICH WE HOULD HAVE COM A PRETTY NEGATIVE ANSWER, I HOPE.
THE NEXT COMMENT I WANT TO MAKE FOLLOWS THE ONE ABOUT RELATIONS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, AND CHINA ON THE OTHER HAND. ONE THING WE WERE ABLE TO DO I AGREE VERY MUCH WITH WHAT WAS SAID ABOUT THE DESIRE, I THINK, FOR LONG TERM GOOD RELATIONS AND GOOD TRADING RELATIONS BETWEEN BRITAIN, HONG KONG AND CHINA BUT OF COURSE THE STUMBLING POINT COMES WITH REGARD TO THE PRESENT DISPUTE - AND ONE THING WE WERE ABLE TO POINT OUT TO THE LEADERSHIP IN BEIJING WAS THAT VERY MANY OF THE EXPECTATIONS WITH REGARD TO A GREATER LEVEL OF DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG CAN BE LED BACK TO WHAT THEY IN BEIJING HAVE THEMSELVES IN THE PAST SAID TO US. I WAS ABLE TO SAY, FOR INSTANCE, TO THEIR FOREIGN MINISTER, THAT WHEN THIS COMMITTEE WENT ON TO BEIJING FOUR YEARS AGO, HAVING BEEN HERE IN HONG KONG, WE ASKED THEM, WE ASKED ALL THE OFFICIALS, WHAT THEIR REACTION WAS TO A GREATER AND QUICKER DEGREE OF DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG, AND UNANIMOUSLY THEY SAID TO US: THAT IS NOT FOR US, WE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT, THAT IS A MATTER FOR HONG KONG. AND YOU WILL FIND THAT WRITTEN IN THE REPORT WE WROTE FOUR YEARS AGO AND IT WAS ON THE BACK OF THAT THAT WE PUT IN OUR REPORT A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE SHOULD MOVE QUICKER TO DEMOCRACY HERE. AND THEREFORE WE WERE ABLE TO POINT OUT TO THE LEADERSHIP IN BEIJING THAT THIS GREATER EXPECTANCY AND DESIRE FOR DEMOCRACY IN HONG KONG IN PART CAME FROM THEIR OWN COMMENTS AND THEIR OWN ATTITUDE FOUR YEARS AGO TO THIS MATTER. OF COURSE IN BETWEEN WE HAVE HAD THE TRAGEDY OF TIANANMEN SQUARE AND THAT OF COURSE HAS A GREAT DEAL TO ANSWER FOR BUT IS NOT REALLY A MATTER THAT WE ARE DISCUSSING AT THIS MINUTE.
MR HOWELL:
I WILL TAKE ANOTHER QUESTION FROM THE FLOOR AND THEN I WILL BRING
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