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ANNUAL REPORT ON HONG KONG 1989
My predecessor agreed in 1985 that a Report on the main events affecting Hong Kong would be laid before Parliament annually. I continue this practice as a mark of the importance of Hong Kong to the Government and to
Britain.
1989 was a difficult year for Hong Kong. Nowhere were the tragic events of Tiananmen Square in June felt
more keenly. We are now working to rebuild confidence in
the territoriy in the arrangements for the future set out
in the Joint Declaration. We are firmly committed to
this task.
This commitment is reflected in the frequency of Ministerial visits to the territory in the past year, in particular my own visit and that of Geoffrey Howe; and two visits by the Minister of State with special
༼༩༨ responsibility for Hong Kong. Francis Maude will be paying a further visit to the territory in April.
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Since assuming the office of Foreign Secretary, I have taken three major decisions affecting Hong Kong. The first was the decision in December to repatriate 51 Vietnamese boat people who were not refugees. This was not a decision which we enjoyed taking. But it was the only responsible and humane option. The alternative
to let people remain indefinitely in detention in
Hong Kong is unacceptable. The great majority of countries now accept the logic of our position. We shall persist in our efforts to resolve this immensely difficult and sensitive problem.