Draft actuca the Stude
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26
M. Kickests PS/M Gooded
19/11
COMMONWEALTH
WESTMINSTER HALL
اواس
PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION
UNITED KINGDOM BRANCH
From: Sir Anthony Durant MP
икв RECEN
020/1
STRY
HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT
LONDON SW1A 0AA
18th November 1993
HKD
た
draft reply from Mr Goodled,
conjunction
26/11 please.
CC: PS.
with SPD, by
PS / Mr Goodland Pr/pus My Huan
Mr
SPD
CCD
Sp. Advis
Насерая вай
As you know I led a delegation of Members of the CPA UK Branch to Hong Kong and New Zealand-in-August' this year. As always after CPA visits to overseas 'Branches a leader's report has been written for the UK Branch Annual Report, and as always this is bland and uncontroversial, as dictated by its Commonwealth-wide circulation. The Hong Kong portion of the visit was also summarised in a letter I wrote to the CPA UK Branch immediately after the visit. This was subsequently sent to the FCO. The visits to Hong Kong and New Zealand were both of such political interest that I am writing this short supplementary report to you.
My delegation comprised the following Members:
Leader: Members:
Sir Anthony Durant MP Lord Beaumont of Whitley Mr Terry Dicks MP
Mr John Garrett MP
Mr Eric Pickles MP
Mr John Prescott MP
Secretary: Mr Andrew Pearson
HONG KONG
This is such an interesting time in Hong Kong that the CPA UK Branch sought and obtained the agreement of the Hong Kong Government to fund the delegates' visit for four full days: of this period two days were given to government briefing, leaving two days for meetings with other people outside government but in one way or another interesting or influential. By no means all supported the Government, or more specifically the Patten proposals for limited democratic reform.
It is received wisdom that the UK business community is against Patten - it is said that they only want to be left in peace to make money. We found things to be not so simple for example the taipan of a major trading house was strongly pro-Patten (although he has now moved on!). One suspects that businessmen's stand on Patten is related to their breadth of vision, a variable quality.
It was valuable to meet and listen to the views of members of Peking's Preliminary Working Committee, one of whom, Vincent Lo Hong- sui, is spoken of by some as the future first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
All but one of my own team considered the Patten proposals "worth a shot".
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