CONFIDENTIAL
LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS'S VISIT TO HONG KONG:
11-17 JANUARY
STEERING BRIEF
1.
On this introductory visit to Hong Kong, the Minister will wish to familiarise himself with the Colony and its problems and to avoid specific commitments as far as possible. In discussions with the Governor and senior officials, the Minister can, of course, be completely frank; while in speaking publicly and to the press, his comments will be largely defensive. The main problem arises in dealing with Unofficial Members of Executive and Legislative Councils (UMELCO). Although these are the Governor's senior advisers, and act in many ways as an unofficial Cabinet, they also regard themselves as the representatives of the Hong Kong interest, where necessary in conflict with IIMG. This applies particularly to the major problems of defence, the death penalty, EEC textile agreements and GSP, the possibilities of constitutional change, and the effects of the recession, particularly on Hong Kong's ability to finance the social programme. In speaking to UMELCO, therefore, the Minister may not be able to speak frankly on these subjects.
2.
A point that is likely to strike the Minister is the small-town stridency of much of the comment and criticism of Britain in Hong Kong, both in the press and in bodies like UMELCO and the Urban Council. This is very much part of the Hong Kong scene and does not imply that there is a basic lack of sympathy for the British point of view in Hong Kong. It is an inevitable reaction of the political impotence of the Colony, its small size but packed population, and the closeness and importance of China. This often leads to a lack of proportion. For the same reasons people in Hong Kong are extremely sensitive to outside criticism, particularly in the British Parliament and press. Lord Goronwy- Roberts may think it worth reminding his hearers that these comments and criticisms in the UK are the result of a free press and Parliament. They are not necessarily well informed and one of the jobs of the FCO, as well as of the Hong Kong Government Office in
CONFIDENTIAL
/London,