But would it be sensible to hammer home too heavily China's
dependency on the Colony assuming that our purpose is to
prevent rather than to provoke precipitate decisions in
Peking?
-
We hear a lot about the interests of the Chinese and of the
people of Hong Kong. It is surely permissible to interject
our own. The Chinese will not, I hope, make the mistake
of supposing that Hong Kong is a major source of wealth
for Britain. The balance of advantage is probably in our
favour, but itis not overwhelming. (A sensible settlement
could, of course, leave us with most of our commercial
interests intact.) Nor, I assume, do we wish to continue
to run Hong Kong to perpetuate imperial glory, though our
pride in its success is well justified. (I seem to recall
that the Russians once censured a favourable mention of
Hong Kong from Chekhov's works.)
strategic advantages are limited.
And, given its circumstances,
Our chief concern is
thus mainly moral: to do the best we can for Hong Kong
itself.
3.