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Over Extract
U
"H.K Standard?
Tuesda Siene 10, 1964
kantage of a civil war to get in with the thin end of a wedge is an old technique.
SNAGS ABOUT
SELF-RULE
corres-
SIR: Your pondents in their letter of June 5 do not examine in depth the effects of a move for internal self-government. They are sutely being politically naive in magin- ing that Peking will sit idly by in the face of a new political set-up here any more than Taipei will.
Our
peculiar "geo* graphic" position is in fact a political one, and Peking, and Taipei are bound to exert pressine and influence on local elections. This would inevitably result in a rapid polarisation of political parties Into CommumilS and Nationalists.
A centrist purty would not be viable for two rea-
Dr.
and
stalf me concerned about
The Editor
sons, bustly, it would be swept away (and Hongkong with it) by the extreme political passions let loose from a political and then physical re-enactment of the Chinese civil war on our streets. Once. our political arena is thrown open, it would be bound to become a battlefield for Peking and Taipei to continue their bitter war.
Secondly, the idea that Hongkong should be 1 "third" foret or show a "third way"
or, in other words, be a Third China. would not be tolerated by either Paking or Taipei, the former particularly, Hoth are apims "two ChumJAN” Terve alone three, and Peking will not and cannot allow it to physically exist because it would represent a threat, a counter altiaction and a political force against
it.
So the end result of opening this political Pandora's Box would be to force Peking to take over Hongkong sooner than necessary. Much በ8 We would like to show an in- dependent third way or a politically centrist course between two extremes, we are too small and the time is not ripe for this stance yet. In plain words, it will not work not to speak of the devastating effects of will have On our stability, economy and prosperity.
The future evolution and slow convergence of Peking. and Taipei under theit next Traders would permit Hong kong naturally and without deturbance to Til finell again into one China in due course. Por us to jump the gun and by to influence it hom without by politieni example wonki not help
・题 but make them
She was transferred, to
worse by further exacerbat» ing Peking-Taipei relations, by being taken over and no longer in a position to be able to be of influence through our present apolitical example of suc» cess. Indeed the more sue- cessful we are in our de
more velopment, the
in- fluence we will have for the eventual betterment of Cluna.
Meanwhile, during the long waiting period, there is much to be done on the development of Hongkong but not on the lines suggested by your cofres- pondents.
Our energies need to be concentrated on economie, sovial, labott and educa tional development wasted or destroyed by use- less political fighting usually motivated by selfish pers Ronal advantage,
REALIST
1
RECEIVED IN RESETTY No.51
13 JUN 1969
!mica 1114
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