27 February 1991
Miss Rachael Robertson 149 Arthurs Avenue
Harrogate
Foreign & Commonwealth
Office
FILE
62
London SW1A 2AH
Telephone: 071- 270 2656
HUD 340/4.
RECEIVED
Dear Miss
Robertor
Thank you for your recent letter addressed to the Prime Minister on the future of Hong Kong. I have been asked to reply.
Under the terms of the Joint Declaration, the Sino British agreement on the future of Hong Kong, the Special Administration Region of China as Hong Kong will be termed after 30 June 1997, will have its own Government comprising Hong Kong people; the socialist policies will not be imposed on Hong Kong from the mainland, Hong Kong's present capitalist system and way of life will continue, with all its human rights and freedoms; its laws and its legal system, its own freely convertible currency, financial markets and port.
It is also very much in China's interests to make this agreement work. China has a huge stake in Hong Kong and there is good reason to believe that the Chinese will honour their commitment to the Joint Declaration.
However the Government are aware that confidence in Hong Kong suffered as a result of the events on the mainland in the summer of 1989 and it was for this reason that they introduced the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act to grant British citizenship to some 50,000 heads of household plus their immediate families, to give them the confidence to remain in the territory. The Government made clear that it would not be possible to grant right of abode to the whole population of Hong Kong. This would be a new immigration commitment on an unprecedented scale. In setting the ceiling it was necessary to balance the desire to be as effective as possible against the ability of this country to accept the numbers involved should it ever be necessary. The Government have at the same time asked the international community to follow this lead in supporting Hong Kong in whatever way they can. Taking the British scheme along with those introduced by other countries; including the USA, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Singapore etc; the whole lot adds up to quite considerable numbers.
FABAPJ
CC