G.F. 82
File No.
CONFIDENTIAL
NOTE FOR FILE
Page
Governor's Visit to Australia
8 to 15 May 1991
Meeting with the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade on 13 May 1991
Chairman,
Michael
Mackellar,
MP
The Deputy chaired the Joint Parliamentary Committee's meeting with the Governor (list of attendees attached). The following points were raised :-
Kong's
future
and
(a) The Governor briefed members of the Committee on the purpose of his visit to Australia. He said that it was
to important
put adverse media reports about Hong Kong in context. There was a paradox between genuine concerns about Hong
the economic dynamism of the territory. He said that there was a need to explain the arrangements being put in
for the transition in 1997. place outlined key elements of those provisions. emphasized the need to keep the economy buoyant so that it remained attractive to Hong Kong people
to China. valuable relationship with There was
(b)
that also
a
and
working important.
a
He
He
He said China was burden of
misunderstanding on both sides. The Chinese leadership deeply mistrusted capitalists and saw Hong Kong as a colonial enclave run by the British. Dealing with them
been more had difficult since June 1989.
Mr Mackellar said that the Governor had given a fairly optimistic portrait of Hong Kong and asked about China's attempts to interfere with the administration of Hong Kong. The Governor said that he was not intending to distort the picture. Hong Kong faced real problems and the brain drain was now about 62,000 a year of which about half were in employment; of these, half again were managers. He said that he did believe that China would break the JD. His concern was that they would seek economic advantage from
not
Chinese wanted
affecting Hong would
slow
the SAR. In the meantime, the to be consulted on decisions Kong, but giving them a veto decision-making
HKG by
very
significantly. We had to keep Peking informed but could not allow them veto power.
CONFIDENTIAL