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VISIT OF HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS ALEXANDRA
Background Note
1.
TO HONG KONG
OCTOBER 1972
The Colony of Hong Kong has a highly sophisticated com-
munity with modern facilities of all kinds comparable with
anywhere else in the world. Its people (98 per cent of whom
are Chinese in origin) are hard working, intelligent and
full of initiative and ingenuity. The combination of their
efforts with the existence of a stable British administration
has enabled Hong Kong, despite a notable absence of natural
resources (except for her harbour), to develop a thriving
economy based largely on domestic exports to overseas markets
of which the main ones are the United States, the United
Kingdom, West Germany and Japan.
2. The Chinese Government has always regarded Hong Kong as
part of China and this fact, coupled with the Colony's
juxtaposition to the Chinese mainland, rules out the possi-
bility of any constitutional development in Hong Kong towards
self government.
community with its great density of population (it is one of
the most densely populated areas in the world) has to be
administered under a Crown Colony type of constitution whereby
the Governor administers the Colony assisted by an Executive
Council and a Legislative Council. There is no elected
representation on either of these two bodies, the membership
of which consists of Government officials and unofficial
members nominated by the Governor.
Because of this, Hong Kong's highly complex
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