Mrs Meriel Packman
Court Lodge
Groombridge
Kent TN3 9PS
Thank you for your letter of 16 December about Hong Kong and in particular our package of assurances. I enclose a copy of the
statement which the Foreign Secretary made in the House of Commons
on 20 December setting out the reasons why we have decided to give
British Citizenship to a limited number of people from Hong Kong.
Our last major responsibility of empire is to secure the best
possible future for Hong Kong. We have a clear duty to maintain
good government and prosperity in Hong Kong up to 1997 and, we hope,
beyond. This is a matter of honour for Britain.
It is also in our interest to keep Hong Kong prosperous. Many jobs in this country depend upon it. Britain's total trade with the
territory amounts to over £4 billion a year. Our investments there
exceed £2 billion and may indeed be considerably more than that if
equity investment, banking interests and so on are included. About 1,000 British companies operate in Hong Kong.
Last June's tragic events in Tiananmen Square caused shock waves
in Hong Kong. Both the territory's prosperity and its good
government are being put at risk by the emigration from the
territory of its most talented and highly qualified people. the private and public sectors are affected. Experienced managers, engineers, doctors, nurses and teachers from Hong Kong find that
their skills are in demand in countries like Canada and Australia.
CVRAA E
Both