It does, nevertheless, cause me some concern that, if I am correct in my understanding of where responsibility lay for the organisation of the programme, someone in Government circles with whom you made contact did not bother to explain the position to you. It would help me to know at what levels you made known your interest in the visit and what responses you received.
You have raised the question of the status and functions of your office. I can assure you that I fully understand and appreciate the difficulties of your position. You are of course a unique animal. No British Missions of any kind have been placed in any other truly dependent territories; we have established embryo Missions in self-governing territories in the immediate run-up period to independence, but these were very different circumstances, Because of Chinese susceptibilities we could not contemplate (even if it was appropriate) the establishment of a fully-fledged Mission in Hong Kong since this would be seen as the badge of a changed constitutional status, The fact is that there is no constitutional justification or role for a fully-fledged Mission in a Crown Colony such as Hong Kong which is administered by the Governor responsible to (and subject to direction from) the Secretary of State.
This is why, as I think you are aware, yours is a strictly Commercial Office (to which limited information functions have been added). And the reason why it has been established as a separate entity quite divorced from the Hong Kong Government is that its role in the promotion of UK commercial and trade interests is not one a local administration financed by local resources should be asked to undertake, (leaving aside the point that, since a conflict of UK and local interests could be involved, the local administration is not a suitable agent for the task). For these reasons your position must be
different from that of the Political Adviser who, as you say, is seconded to the Hong Kong Government Service. But I would point out that it is a little misleading to say that he is seconded "to form a link between Hong Kong and the UK Government on political questions'
As an officer of the Hong Kong Government his role is to advise the Governor in matters of external relations. The "link" in such matters ia a direct one between the Governor and the Secretary of State.
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I am sorry that you and your predecessor feel you are treated as just any member of the Consular Corps. (Incidentally we raised our eyebrows here when we heard some time ago that you held a "consular card", but were given to understand that it was issued solely to help you in getting around). I fear that in all the circumstances it is inevitable that your position should be somewhat anomalous and appreciate that on occasions it might give rise to embarrassment, Given the role of your Mission, I feel that the Hong Kong Government must regard you for formal purposes as operating on an entirely separate basis. But it does seem that there must be ways in which your special position "as a British official in a British Colony", as you put it can and should be recognised.
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If you have any practical suggestions how this might be done, I should be happy to consider them and explore the possibility of reaching some informal (but recorded) understanding with Hong Kong which might help to overcome the awkwardness arising from (as you say) the ill-defined nature of your position.
/ Finally
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