RESTRICTED
8.
22.
That has gone, but the secretive instincts linger, to a degree that is strange even by comparison with Whitehall. It is important that the increased authority and self
confidence of Legco should not be matched by a heightened
secretiveness on the part of officials who are inevitably
worried about their future.
23. I can illustrate these points with two examples
i) For the first celebration in Macao of Her Majesty's
Birthday after a break of 50 years an unusually happy event
we needed a Union Jack to match the particular size of the Portuguese flag lent by the office of the Governor of Macao.
After due consultation within the Hong Kong Government I was
told this was impossible since the loan might give rise to
suggestions of unfair advantage.
ii) A recent meeting was interrupted by a courier bearing a
sealed letter marked Urgent, Confidential, Open by Addressee
Only. It turned out to be a HKG copy of a circular to FCO
posts seeking nominations for a garden party at Buckingham
Palace.
24. These are not isolated examples. But the situation has
changed and there is no group with whom I feel more
comfortable than the able and dedicated servants of the Hong
Kong Government. My confidence in the future of Hong Kong is
based on my admiration for these civil servants, the
businessmen with whom I spend my working day, the members of
Exco and Legco, and the talented academics.
The Importance of Trade
25. British trade will depend on getting a China strategy
right and seeing it through. Hong Kong will increasingly be
the brains and money capital a world class financial centre
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