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W(B)L 51-7406
아
un willing
inhabitants
to Communism (of
whom about turo
million are citizens of the U.K. as
Colmics).
3.
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force) the means of making our
position in the Colony humilitating
and intolerables.
(b) In whatever circumstances we abdicate
our position, it will be impossible
to discharge all our/responsibilities
to the Hong Kong Chinese, or to
remove or protect all British and
Hong Kong owned assets; and we shall
effect
in fet be abandoning some millions
unwilling Zrit:
tizens
British protected persons to
(c) If we were to try to withdraw
(a)
from Hong Kong prematurely, it is
by/no means certain that the Chinese
renunciafion
would accept our per
dauthority
reement of
eentrol. They might attempt to
force us to maintain a "puppet"
British administration under their
controlą.
If it is assumed that the Colony
will be returning to China not
later than 1997 (the termination of
New
the lease of the "bed territories)
there must, as this date approaches,
decline
be a limb in confidence in the
Colony leading to the possibility of
prolong economic recession. This
couldbe quite a significant factor
in the situation by the 1980s, if
not before.
It would be wrong, however, to concentrate
entirely on the negative aspect. The Chinese
are for the present clearly prepared to
accept the continuing existence of the
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/Colony