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(II) THROUGH SEPARATE ARRANGEMENTS TO PROVIDE PASSPORTS FOR PROFESSIONALS WHICH COULD BE HANDLED UNDER EXISTING DISCRETIONARY LEGISLATION. WHAT LEE ENVISAGED WAS HONG KONG COMPANIES SENDING PEOPLE TO WORK IN SINGAPORE FOR (SAY) SIX MONTHS OVER 2 YEARS, WHICH WOULD THEN QUALIFY THEM FOR A PASSPORT AND ENABLE THEM TO REMAIN IN HONG KONG FOR AS LONG AS THEY WISHED. SINGAPORE WOULD BENEFIT FROM HONG KONG SENDING THESE PEOPLE TO THEM AND FROM HONG KONG COMPANIES EXPANDING THEIR OWN COMMERCIAL LINKS WITH SINGAPORE
IN ORDER TO ARRANGE SUCH TRANSFERS. LEE STRESSED THAT THIS IDEA WAS
STILL BEING EXPLORED AND EVEN IF THE SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT THESE ARRANGEMENTS THERE WOULD BE NO IMMEDIATE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT. IT WOULD BE FOR HONG KONG COMPANIES TO MAKE THE
SECONDMENT ARRANGEMENTS THEMSELVES:
(III) LEE SAID THAT IF HONG KONG WENT INTO A SHARP DECLINE ECONOMICALLY THE SINGAPORIANS MIGHT ALSO BE ABLE TO HELP BY
INVESTMENTS IN PROPERTY OR PROMINENT COMPANIES. HE SAID THAT HE WAS
THINKING PARTICULARLY OF COMPANIES THAT MIGHT FEEL VULNERABLE AFTER 1997 SUCH AS THE TV COMPANIES, WHERE A DEGREE OF ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP WITH SAY A SINGAPOREAN EQUIVALENT SUCH AS SBC COULD BE A USEFUL, IF MINOR, POLITICAL UMBRELLA. A BI-PRODUCT OF SUCH COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS COULD OF COURSE BE THAT HONG KONG EMPLOYEES MIGHT GAIN ACCESS TO SINGAPORE PASSPORTS UNDER THE SCHEME OF (II)
AND THEN REMAIN IN HONG KONG. LEE STRESSED THAT ALL THESE IDEAS
NEEDED TO BE THOUGHT THROUGH AND THAT HE WOULD KEEP ME INFORMED OF
DEVELOPMENTS.
4. I SAID THAT WE TOO SAW HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE AS FULFILLING
COMPLEMENTARY RATHER THAN COMPETITIVE ROLES IN THE REGION. HONG KONG WAS VERY RESILIENT AND I FIRMLY BELIEVED IT WOULD SURVIVE THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE TRANSITION AS IT HAD INDEED SURVIVED THE
SHOCKS OF 1989. SCHEMES ON THE LINES SUGGESTED BY THE PRIME MINISTER COULD BE VERY HELPFUL, PARTICULARLY IF THEY PROVIDED WAYS OF OBTAINING AN ASSURANCE FOR THE FUTURE WITHOUT LEAVING HONG KONG OR ONLY LEAVING FOR A SHORT PERIOD. BOTH (I) (WHICH HAD A FIVE YEAR EXTENDIBLE TO TEN YEAR GRACE PERIOD) AND (II) ACHIEVED THAT. ON
(III) THEY SHOULD CHECK OUR LEGISLATION ON TV COMPANIES WHICH
IMPOSED LIMITS ON FOREIGN OWNERSHIP. I ASKED HIM TO FOREWARN ME OF ANY PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS ON ANY OF THEIR IDEAS. HE APOLOGISED THAT
THIS HAD NOT BEEN DONE LAST YEAR FOR (I).
5. OVER LUNCH LEE WAS STRONG ON THE NEED FOR HONG KONG TO BE
REALISTIC ABOUT ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA AND NOT TO HAVE NAIVE
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