SECRET AND PERSONAL
eir Whitehall counterparts on technical matters. But
Ministers and officials still seek the Governor's personal
views on a broad range of policy issues, particularly on
relations with China, and on the more sensitive aspects of
the administration of Hong Kong. We often exchange 20 or more "personal" telegrams a week with the Governor, and often seek his advice on complex issues at very short notice. (The Governor decides the distribution in Hong Kong of personal telegrams, and normally approves, although does not draft the replies). In addition, for particularly sensitive matters, telegrams can be sent "strictly personal" for the Governor. In this case, he deals with, and replies
to, the telegrams unaided.
5
All this places an immense administrative load on the Governor. It has only been sustainable to date because all recent Governors have had prior experience of Hong Kong and/or China and have been civil servants, with a background in Whitehall and the bureaucratic skills to conduct a personal telegraphic dialogue with the FCO (and the Ambassador in Peking) on policy issues in addition to running the Hong Kong Government.
Political Adviser
6. The Political Adviser (PA, sometimes a Counsellor, sometimes a senior grade officer) and two officers on his staff are the only Diplomatic Service officers seconded to (and paid for by) HKG. They are not housed in Government House, but some distance away in the Central Government Offices. The PA's role is not to assist the Governor in dealing with Whitehall, but primarily:to conduct liaison on behalf of the Governor and Government of Hong Kong, with Chinese representatives in Hong Kong; to advise the Governor on relations with China in the run-up to 1997; and to advise him on developments in China. The PA also conducts some "external affairs" functions: briefing visitors, dealing with the Consular Corps and the Governor's travels, etc.
PUGAED/2
SECRET AND PERSONAL