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prosperity of Hongkong.
It had also been
worthy of note that Liao had not asked his
listerners to keep his statement confidential
but to inform their friends of this conversation.
c) The left-wing periodical "Cheng Ming" which has
appeared in Hongkong since the beginning of November published in its first issues the - so
far - most exhaustive description of the Chinese position. This article, which is being regarded as having been inspired by Peking, mainly stated:
For the past 28 years, China's policy had been governed by three principles:
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Hongkong and Macao were Chinese territory,
the question of Hongkong and Macao would be
settled in a suitable manner when conditions
for doing so were ripe,
- the status quo of Hongkong and Macao should
be maintained as long as the overall question
wes not settled.
The conclusion is then suggested that the "ripening of conditions" does not appear to relate to the
expiry of the lease for the New Territories in
Hongkong.
The article repeats and thus indirectly confirms - views which are widespread in Hongkong according
to which China was profiting in three ways from
Hongkong's status quo:
economically by foreign exchange revenues, trade with third countries and imports of advanced technology and industrial equipment,
politically which was perhaps even more important ..
by the contacts with the outside world and the
possibility of doing things in Hongkong and Macao which were inconceivable elsewhere,