Mr Murray
PS/Lord Goronwy-Roberts
CONFIDENTIAL
Mr Stewart feels
seen the despatch,
Imrough I have not
Z
apee
with
Comments on
your
it!
HONG KONG ANNUAL REVIEW 1976
Flag A 1. The Governor of Hong Kong has sent us his Annual Review for
1976 and a calendar of events.
21/1
Flag B 2.
The content of this review, as of that for 1975, is unexceptional and adds little to the Department's knowledge or understanding of the events of last year. The dispatch is nonetheless interesting since it provides in un encapsulated form a history of 1976 in Hong Kong as seen through the Governor's eyes. It is perhaps disappointing that the Governor seems to exhibit some slight complacency over what has been planned and done and his dispatch does not reflect the sense of urgency over labour and social matters which we have tried to impart to the Hong Kong Government. However, the facts must speak for themselves and it is undoubted that the Hong Kong Government have embarked on an extensive programme of reforms. The line the Governor takes is, broadly speaking, that which has been used publicly by Ministers and UK and Hong Kong officials since agreement was reached on the Planning Paper. It can be broadly summarized thus: within the framework imposed by the economic restraints arising from the recession of 1974/5 and by the continuing
political constraints, the Hong Kong Government is doing everything possible to improve the quality of life enjoyed by its people; of course there are blemishes but plans' exist for their early eradication; meanwhile, the UK and Hong Kong Covernment are in agreement with regard both to the speed and the direction of the progress needed.
3. Much of this is fair enough but there is in my view more scope
for progress in Hong Kong than the Governor allows in his dispatch. First, he is inclined, I think, to make the most of the Chinese "dimension" as a limitation on what can be achieved. Second, he
tends, an the evidence of his dispatch not to give sufficient weight to the problems that remain to be dealt with, e.g. the drug problem,
CONFIDENTIAL
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