(1.8281) Dd. 391599 1,500M 2/69 Hw.
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Registry
No.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret.
Secret.
Confidential.
DRAFT
To:-
Type 1 +
From
Telephone No. & Ext.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
..In Confidence
Hong Kong s prospenty, and hence her
seauty, could be threatened
by a failure of
Department
to close on 4 million). [over this sitation hangs
the problem of Peking. A failure of exporty to expand sufficiently to keep pace
with
growing
population with insing expectations (more than 50% of Hong Kong's population are under 21 years of age) could lead to civil disorder (of which the 1966 and 1967 disturbances gave a foretaste). pand sufficiently And init disturbances could easily reach the
her exports
to ex-
with
to keep pace
A
growing popu.
has doubled in
the past twenty years, and 50%
point
where whatever the economic use to China
who
lation, but which of Hong Kong Cand in these circumstances it
would rapidly diminish), the Chinese Government, which has never recognized the treaties establishing Hong Kong as
a British dependency, might feel for political reasons it could not stand aside. Any action the Chinese Government then took would not be in the interests of either Commu-
ould
of which is unde
21 years of age.
puty members in partientar whole. I
or the West as a
* This problem is clearly worked with the question of Hong line's future access to work markets, More
river ff her exorts go to N to Minor
Page 210Page 211
(134392) Dd. 737115 750M 4/70 Hw.
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