}
Mr Foggon
HONG KONG
10
Liel Lie
ALT
24
HKK3/548/15
1. Thank you for your minute of 23 October. I fully agree that the growth of conflict between Britain and Hong Kong is worrying. As you say, our current troubles are superimposed on an underlying feeling of suspicion in Hong Kong. I am fairly used to the colonialist chip on the shoulder, having been brought up in the same tradition myself. But in Hong Kong it is certainly worse than anything we suffered in East Africa. The other characteristic of many in the Hong Kong admini- stration is tunnel-vision a concentration on Hong Kong's own. immediate concerns.
2.
At the same time there are some signs of a growing feeling in the UK, which, as you say, will, if anything, be fostered by the World In Action programme on corruption, that Hong Kong is a liability. All this adds up to the possibility of a fairly serious constitutional conflict.
A
3.
The way we are tackling the problem is to try to look at the problems both individually and together. The Secretary of State has sent a minute to the Frime Minister and his colleagues stressing that it is not only individual problems that matter but also their cumulative effect on our relations with Hong Kong. Cabinet committee has been set up to add this extra dimension to the bilateral discussions which we are having with the relevant departments in Whitehall. I am not unhopeful that, by this two-pronged approach, we can resolve some of the outstanding points of conflict at least before the Prime Minister's visit to Hong Kong in January, then claim that they demonstrate the real concern of HMG for Hong Kong. In this atmos- phere it should be possible to dispel some of the half lies and untruths about the relationship which, as you say, are circulating in Hong Kong.
4. Another line of approach which is relevant to the work of this department, and which you yourself recognise, is the importance of personal relations with senior Hong Kong officials. It is really essential that we should foster the acceptance in Hong Kong of the fact that we are on the same side. This means restraint by us. For example, it is no use girding at them for not doing things which are in practice impossible in the current political and economic in Hong Kong.
5. Another idea that has been strongly canvassed b the Senior Trade Commissioner in Hong Kong is some of FR campaign to improve the British image there. trouble is that vague expressions of goodwill cut wo ice when there are so many concrete examples of fric
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