CONFIDENTIAL
ALLEGED LACK OF ACTIVITY BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT
thus Gruesan?
1. The hon Member has suggested that the Hong Kong Government could have done more to instil confidence in the local population. I do not believe that is a fair criticism. Where the negotiations themselves are concerned, they are being conducted by Her Majesty's Government, on a basis of confidentiality. It is natural that what could be said about our approach to the negotiations has been said by British Ministers in Hong Kong or in Parliament. The Governor of
Hong Kong has however made a number of more general public statements with the aim of reassuring local opinion and encouraging a positive and constructive approach to the problems that lie ahead.