an office to monitor the situation in Hong Kong. Given the international significance of Hong Kong other governments can be expected to take a close interest in its evolution. Japan has already publicly declared an interest by expressing approval for the Patten proposals even though it had reason to know that the Beijing government would be displeased. The United States Congress has even gone so far as to declare its intention to require the government to monitor China's observance of
of its agreements after 1997. Like Canada and Australia, the United States has a sizable number of residents from Hong Kong with many ties to the territory who are bound to take a close interest in its subsequent development.
Much as it may dislike it the PRC will have little alternative but to take into account the international repercussions of its treatment of Hong Kong following the transfer of sovereignty. The end of the Cold War has already brought the general behaviour of the Chinese state under greater international scrutiny. No longer protected by the exigencies of the so-called 'China card' during the Cold War China is under greater pressure to conform to international norms. Lacking many means to bring pressure to bear upon China after 1997 it behooves HMG to give considerable thought as to how to harness the international concern about Hong Kong to best effect.
Other concerns in Sino-British Relations
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Important and crucial as the management of the transfer of Hong Kong's sovereignty may be, it should not be allowed to crowd out the other important issues in Britain's relations with China. Once the transfer is complete Britain will lose its beachhead in the Asia-Pacific region. Clearly it is important that
is consideration is given to ensuring that Britain can remain linked to this vitally important region in the global economy. While Britain's economic stake in Hong Kong is considerable it is declining relative to the major economies in the region. Moreover despite the advantages of Hong Kong Britain's trade with China is relatively small. At less than one and a half billion pounds it was less than that with Taiwan and only a quarter of the value of Germany's trade with China. It would be unfair to blame HMG as successive ministers down the years have led various kinds of trade and economic delegations to China. But surely it would be worthwhile to establish some kind of working group of interested parties drawn from the worlds of industry,
the worlds of industry, commerce finance, academe and government to look more deeply into this before the withdrawal from Hong Kong. Similar points could be made as to whether British educational and cultural circles are seeking to seize the opportunities of engaging the attention and interest of the rapidly emerging new middle classes in East Asia. Their governments are known to favour links with Britain as a counter weight to the perhaps excessive engagement with the United States and as a possible gateway to the European Community.
By virtue of being a fellow permanent member of the UN Security Council, Britain has special reasons to seek to engage
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