Talking points: Rong Kong
Political background
The British Government's responsibility for Hong Kong is absolute. For international purposes, e.g. in relation to GATT, Hong Kong is as much part of Britain as is the Isle of Wight. But Hong Kong, unlike the Isle of Wight, is not represented in the British Parliament and this makes
it all the more necessary for the British Government to safeguard Hong Kong's interests.
As ir. Stans will see when he goes to Hong Kong, the
Colony is a sort of economic miracle. It consists of a bare
rock with a few square miles of muddy fields. on the mainland and with virtually no natural resources of any kind, yet it prospere and there are three props to this prosperity:
(a)
(b)
(c)
The first is the energies and enterprise of the Chinese people when released by the profit motive.
Hong Kong is a show-case for private enterprise or rather for a mixed economy right on China's
doorstep and has the same value in sia as an example and a sy:bol as west Berlin has in Furope.
Anything which harms Hong Kong's prosperity harms
the interests of the West in Asia.
The second prop is good stable government (British Colonial style) as contrasted with China, which has
not had good stable Government for perhaps 2,000
years.
The third prop is the GATT, which is of unique importance to Hong Kong because it is the sole safeguard against people discriminating against her by alleging that she is a low cost country and is too efficient and that therefore competition from
her is unfair.
Threats to liong Kong's prosperity will therefore
have early political consequences; will undermine the conficence of her population in their Western orientation; and will help the inces ant Chinese Communist propagandista.
Economic consiccrations
What is likely to be the effect upon Hong Kong's economy of the proposed cxtension to non-cotton textiles of the
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