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reform.
Our policy remains the same. We never lose sight of
the fact that cooperation between Britain and China provides
the best conditions for Hong Kong to flourish.
In the swirl of debate, we should not lose sight of some essential points:
A society as mature as Hong Kong deserves a system
in which people have a greater say in the running of
their own affairs. This is recognised in the Joint
Declaration and the Basic Law. The demand for this
in Hong Kong has become more insistent in the last
three or four years.
Whatever the detail of the electoral arrangements
finally decided by LegCo, the elections should be
open, fair and acceptable to the people of Hong
Kong. I know that members of LegCo will have this
in mind as they examine all the proposals put to
them.
article14
NIC
Although China has disagreed with a number of the
Governor's proposals, there is still a great deal
of common ground between Britain and China over
Hong Kong. We have a shared interest in
preserving the stability and prosperity of Hong
Kong and in achieving a smooth transition. We
have a shared commitment to the Joint Declaration.
I hope that we can translate that soon into
discussions on the arrangements for the 1995
elections.
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