TNAG-0293-FCO40-329-Guidelines-for-the-Governor-of-Hong-Kong--Sir-Murray-MacLeho-1971 — Page 34

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tuyeaux in Hong Kong and official exchanges. in London

and Peking is the traditional method. To work this system

most arrangements must be dealt with on the local Hong

Hong nets, both because this is common-sense, and because

otherwise our exchanges with the Chinese in London and

Peking would become over-loaded with Hong Kong affairs and

the latter would become too vulnerable to ephemeral

political pressures in China.

But

11. The system just works enough to be supportable.

it does look very odd indeed, and it is hard to justify

logically our refusal to recognise an official Chinese

Representative in Hong Kong through whose office all this

business could pass. Particularly since in practice most

business already is conducted by offices in the Bank of

China building under the overall direction of Leung Wai-lam,

the holder of a diplomatic passport. I do, however, agree

with Mr Morgan that this is something which we must resist.

12. A Chinese Representative in Hong Kong might just be

acceptable if the relationship between Hong Kong and China

was defined and agreed. But without this there can be

no limit to what he could dlaim as his legitimate sphere of

activity, or to what his objectives might be, or to what

Communists would expect of him. It would be intolerable

for a Chinese Representative in Hong Kong to adopt a low

posture and, in any case, the Communist cadres would not

/allow

4.

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