NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
W(B)L 51-7406
5.
In theory a formal devolution of authority could be made to the Hong Kong Government, based on or extending the practical arrangements outlined above. An example is the recent devolution to the Bahamas Government (see Annex B), the extent of which is not so very different from existing practice as applied to
Hong Kong. But while a formal devolution to
Hong Kong might have presentational advantages (e.g. in the eyes of Executive Council and the Textile Advisory Board) any such proposal would for the following reasons require very careful
consideration :-
(a) It is not usual for such authority
(b)
(ki)
to be devolved on Colonial
Governments at the stage of
constitutional evolution reached by
Hong Kong; in the past devolutions have been made to locally elected administrations that are heading for
complete independence.
There is a danger that the formal conferment of a measure of independent
authority might arouse China's
susceptibilities the more so,
perhaps, in view of the point made at (a) above.
The Colony carries little weight in a negotiating sense, has not the power of economic retaliation to command respect and must rely to some extent on UK backing; a quasi-
independent status for Hong Kong might dispose some countries to feel
that they could discount UK backing.
6. It is relevant to mention here that some
formal devolution may have to be made to Hong
Kong in the event of British entry into the Common Market, particularly if the states in the Community were to give up their individual membership of GATT to make way for a single Community membership. This might involve the
devolution of full commercial autonomy on Hong Kong (as in the case of Southern
Rhodesia).
Some very preliminary and not very
/conclusive
...