Governor Urges Free Trade As Way To Help Hong Kong

A strong economy and a trade system free of government interference will encourage autonomy and deter corruption after China assumes control of Hong Kong, Gov. Chris Patten said Thursday.

Patten also urged the U.S. Congress to renew China’s most-favored-nation trade status, saying linking trade privileges to Hong Kong’s future would not do any good.

“Keep politics out of the markets,” Patten said. “Stay with free trade. Hong Kong has been built by free trade. It lives by free trade. It will wither if the oxygen of free trade stops flowing.”

Though he rarely mentioned the Chinese government directly, Patten’s message at an American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong luncheon was clear: Only through vigorous free trade and the standards it requires can Hong Kong avoid the corruption that bedevils China.