CONFIDENTIAL
rationalisation, it is not difficult to see that unofficials could justify resistance to proposals for social advance on the grounds that these would impose too heavy a cost on Hong Kong industry and thus reduce its competitiveness overseas. Using this argument, the unofficials would not need to appear to be defending interests of their own. Sir Denys Roberts rightly pointed out that the unofficials' complaint about UK critics adopting a two-faced attitude towards Hong Kong could also be applied to the attitude of unofficials towards the UK. They were not slow to argue that Hong Kong was different from the UK when it suited their interests, eg the death penalty issue and sterling reserves.
15 July 1976
copy:
Mr Duffy
Mr Janvrin
Mr Larmour o/r
E. F. Millen
है.
DF Milton
Hong Kong Department
THIS IS A COPY
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN RETAINED IN THE DEPARTMENT UNDER SECTION 3(4) OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ACT 1958
CONFIDENTIAL