TNAG-0098-FCO40-134-Construction-of-a-Cross-Harbour-Tunnel-1968 — Page 91

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

they

As we understand them, ECGD's reasons for

stemmma requiring a joint guarantee are mixed stem partly from their assessment of the commercial risk attaching to a project of this nature and partly from the risk of political developments in China leading to the liquida-

tion of Hong Kong. The requirement of a joint guarantee admittedly formed part of the original

conditions for cover laid down by ECGD early

in 1967, at a time when that department can

only have been concerned about the commercial

And risks. However in March of that year

? (Lord) Brown felt able to agree that the joint guarantee requirement could be dropped al a decision which implied that not too serious

a view needed to be taken of the commercial

how

risk. In reimposing the condition of a joint suarantee

I suspect that the main consideration weighing with ECGD is still the political risk

Communist contionlation which, at the height of the troubles last year, led them to ask for a Hong Kong Government guarantee on terms and conditions that proved quite unacceptable to that government. might help you and ECGD if I were to say

something about the political risk.

The threat to Hong Kong's continued

It

existence is basically the same now, both in

nature and degree, as it has been since the communist's came to power in early 50's.

1949

It does not lie in the internal

'situation of the Colony; the events of 1967

have shown that communist pressures within the Colony can be contained if they are not supported from outside. But once the Peking Government conceives the intention of taking

Hạng động s the Colony over, then ite/days will undoubtedly be numbered. At no stage in the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution in China has there

been any evidence of such an intention nor do we see it as a likely development of the revolution, now that the worst frenzies of this remarkable phase in Chinese history appear to have passed. There was no evidence that they

events of 1967 were deliberately inspired from

Pekingo and Communist policy in Hong Kong,

as dictated

The 467 trouble in

due to the,

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN

Hems, wenchy oral commultiwal

Ming, were spon

...

helin

To the

revention in China and

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