be particularly sensitive jurisdiction over the
education
Walled City and Communist schools in the Colony. If we
were to take these measures we should be extending
Government authority into educational activities in the
Walled City, where hitherto our intervention has been
minimal. We might also be obliged ultimately to close
Durandh
some of the schools; /past experience has shown all too
clearly that this is one issue on which the Chinese
Government feels its interests to be affected directly.
Indeed, the Chinese would be alarmed and deeply
suspicious about why we should have chosen to demon-
strate the authority of the Hong Kong Government
Settor
sensitive
extend
are a
precisely in an area which they insist is an important
Frards
indicator of our real attitude towards Hong Kong-
Chinese relations. In any case, action to increase
fire protection should be seen plainly to be non-
discriminatory and action against Communiet schools
preferably should be prefaced by making an example of
or two
one of the independent schools without Communist
But however deftly
connections (if such there of five
But even then measures prooch the prostem
to close Communist schools in the Walled City would
still carry a substantial risk of an adverse Chinese
reaction.
4.
Though the idea is an attractive one, we do not
think that it would be prudent to discuss this problem
in advance with the Chinese through our covert channels
The Chinese would feel obliged to adopt a tough
position on such a sensitive issue, and would be
unlikely to concede us any freedom of manoeuvre.
Ir is possible to
I which
5.
There is the argument that improvements in the
conditions of schools in the Walled City, is to the
advantage of the local community, s that the Chinese
Government would hardly wish to make an issue of these-
I think the Govorno said that there were non communist Schools in the walled city
HWs he
/proposals.
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