En Clair
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IMMEDIATE
Telno. 314
UNCLASSIFIED
PEKING ΤΟ
FOREIGN OFFICE
6 December 1967
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 314 of
6 December.
Repeated for information to Hong Kong, Washington and POLAD Singapore.
I was summoned to the Foreign Ministry this afternoon and received by the Deputy Director of Western Europe, who made an oral protest about recent events in Hong Kong. He mentioned the closure of Chung Hua school and the raiding of four other schools, the arrest of the headmaster of Chung Hua school, the banning of "Youth Garden Weekly", the judgment for libel against Wen Hui Pao, the arrest of two film directors and searching of film studio premises, the raiding of the Kowloon branch of the Motor Transport Union and three other unions.
2.
Mr. Hsueh characterised these acts as further suppression of Chinese in Hong Kong which he said completely gave the lie to the British Government's professions about improving relations. Hsueh said he had already lodged a serious protest on 27 November which the British Government had completely disregarded. He was now instructed to make a further protest. He then went on to say that the Hong Kong question was at the nub of Sino/British relations and that these could not be improved or normalised until the Hong Kong problem was solved. Indeed, if the British Government continued its suppression of Chinese in Hong Kong, relations could only deteriorate further.
30 I once more contested his version of these events, explaining that they were necessary actions on the part of the Hong Kong Government to protect the population against acts of terrorism. I repeated that the responsibility for these events lay with those who had instigated schools to take part in the terrorist campaign and the newspapers to make libellous statements. I therefore rejected in protest.
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In conclusion I confirmed that it was the British Government's desire to improve Sino/British relations, but that the Government of Hong Kong nevertheless had its responsibilities for maintaining law and order there, which they were determined to carry out. I also pointed out that whereas Hong Kong was indeed a major problem in Sino/British relations, it was in such circumstances when serious problems existed between two countries that their diplomatic representatives should be able to carry out their functions normally and thus contribute to a solution.
5. Mr. Hsueh expressed disagreement with my statement, and went on to say that we talked constantly about improving relations but our actions belied our words. If the British Government sincerely wished to improve relations they must first of all stop suppression in Hong Kong,
/6. In reply to
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