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IS DEPENDENT UPON THE CONTINUING GOODWILL OF CHINA. THE LOGIC OF THE PRESENT CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION SEEMS TO POINT TOWARDS THEIR
REGARDING THE FUTURE OF THE THREE AREAS BEING INDIVISIBLE: FUT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHETHER ALL SUCCESSIVE CHINESE GOVERNMENTS WILL
TAKE THE SAME VIEM.
(NEXT SENTENCE UNDERLINED)
ASE RELATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE'S FEPUBLIC OF CHINA LIKELY TO REMAIN
STABLE?
YES, IN PARTICULAR HMG SEE NO REASON WHY HONG KONG SHOULD BECOME
AN ISSUE BETWEEN THE TWO GOVERNMENTS.
(SIDELINED)
ATTITUDES IN CHINA TOWARDS HONG KONG HAVE IN THE PAST CAUSED
DIFFICULTIES IN OUR RELATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC. AT PRESENT, HOWEVER, THE POSITION IS PARTICULARLY SATISFACTORY AND THERE ARE NO IDENTIFIABLE DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY OF THEIR REMAINING SO. WE WOULD EXPECT SUCCESSIVE CHINESE GOVERNMENTS TO CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THEIR VIEW THAT HONG KONG IS PART OF CHINA: BUT THE DEGREE TO WHICH THEY WILL PURSUE THIS CLAIM WILL BE DEPENDENT MORE ON
INTERNAL POLITICAL EVENTS IN CHINA THAN ON EVENTS IN HONG KONG. HRG'S PRESENT POLICY IS TO ADMINISTER HONG KONG IN THE INTERESTS OF
ITS INHABITANTS AND TO MAKE IT A PLACE IN WHICH THEY CAN PURSUE FRUITFUL AND PRODUCTIVE LIVES. IT IS OUR HOPE THAT THIS WILL REDUCE THE RISKS OF INTERNAL DISORDERS IN THE COLONY WHICH MIGHT CAUSE THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT TO REVISE ITS PRESENT ATTITUDE OF TOLERANCE TOWARDS THE (NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED) STATUS QUO,
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