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B. BRITISH INTERDS TS
Political
3. Hong Kong is of political benefit to us as a Free World.
enclave on the mainland of China, demonstrating that a "free" society, even (of necessity) without representative government,
is preferable in the eyes of mary Chinese to the communist
society of China. Chinese influence has ensured that its retention by us has not been a target of the anti-colonial
lobby at the United Nations. Its loss to China would be a
severe blow to Free World prestige in Asia and would correspondingly boost China's prestige particularly among the overseas Chinese in South East Asia. Our presence there is a British contribution to inter-dependence. The Americans
recognise its usefulness.
4. There are on the other hand a number of political disadvantages in our position. Our inability to develop representative institutions in the Colony is a startling
anomaly in our post-war record of colonial administration;
while this has not so far embarrassed us in the international
field (e.g. in the United Nations), it is occasionally an object of critical comment in this country, both in Parliament and elsewhere, Difficult problems may lie ahead as there emerges a generation brought up and educated in Hong Kong in western ways for whose energies there can be no outlet in
political activities and for whose aspirations for a secure national identity there can be no solution other than China. Moreover our position in Hong Kong clouds our relations with China and might stand in the way of their improvement. attack on our Mission in Peking in August, 1967, was the
direct result of our refusal to comply with a Chinese ultimatum demanding that a ban on three communist newspapers
be lifted. It is probable that members of the British
Mission in China were held as hostages by the Chinese in
order to try to secure concessions on Hong Kong. The Chinese might still hope that detention of other British
Subjects will help to achieve their objectives though in view of their failure to use the Mission for this purpose
this may be largely to satisfy their supporters in Hong Kong.
The
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/Economic
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