13.
CONFIDENTIAL
Hong Kong bilateral difference
contained.
remains largely self
12.
We must not be complacent.
As the Ambassador says, if
Hong Kong is taken away, there is limited substance to ow
political relations. And our trading performance is
As some of and competitors. disappointing compared with een Germanyche.
I believe that
with Current
there is probably little more HMG can picably do to accelerate progren. addition-CO-BUFFERT 8££OFTS
We are already working hard to
develop the political depth of the relationship (and few
and
competitors can match a State Visit); that
part of the and reflects
problem probably lies in the private sector, our
industrial performance.
underlying economic strength.
Nevertheless, China is
important to us and will become more so. We must not lose
opportunities to build up the relationship.
Par Eastern Department
Interest in China in already cunderable in the ran up to this year's wits. In vere view q this a to queeks of
q
the despatch, I recommend that you entrouge printing in
to
the general distributiER,
J19ABD
CONFIDENTIAL