SECRET.
or that
they
with foreign or independent Commonwealth countries;
with the heavier responsibilities falling on Ministers,
would not be able to give full consideration to Hong Kong's
́ particular interests. However, visits to the Colony in the
past two years have done something to dispel these fears and
any distrust, and we think that Hong Kong officials are now
more ready to make allowances for the short time the merged
office has been operating, for the more frequent staff changes
and for the inevitable unfamiliarity with the position in
dependent territories of staff who come in fresh from posting
overseas.
Chinese
Attitude
towards Hong Kong
Benefits of Hong Kong
RELATIONS WITH CHINA
like
11. The Communist Peoples Government of China (CPG)
previous Chinese Governments regard Hong Kong as Chinese
territory, wrested from the mainland during a period of
weakness and to be recovered in due course. The Chinese
official attitude, pronounced in March 1963 and reaffirmed in
1965, is that Hong Kong is a legacy from unequal treaties in
the past and that China's claim will be settled peacefully
through negotiations when the time is ripe. But there is at
present no indication that the Chinese intend to press their
claim in the near future.
12.
The Chinese derive considerable benefits from the Colony,
which provides them with easy access to world markets and
serves as an invaluable base for travel and intelligence
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