TNAG-0334-FCO40-370-Visits-of-Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Af-1972 — Page 141

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Background

CONFIDENTIAL

Brief No

39

all White

The Chinese Language Issue in Hong Kong

During the past eighteen months a campaign

has been conducted by certain elements in Hong Kong

to secure the recognition of Chinese as an official

language in the colony with a status equal to that

accorded to English. There have been Parliamentary

Questions on the subject and in addition

representations have been made to Ministers and to

the Prime Minister (in April 1971).

These have been

answered by suggesting to the petitioners that they

should make known their views to the Committee which

was set up by the Hong Kong Government in October

1970 to go into the whole question.

2.

This Committee, which was set up under the

chairmanship of Sir Kenneth Ping-fan Fung (a member

of the Executive Council and a leading banker and

business man) has presented four reports to the

Hong Kong Government and, in brief, the position in

relation to these reports is as follows:

First Report (Submitted in February 1971)

This dealt with the provision of simultaneous

interpretation facilities in the Legislative

Council, the Urban Council and official Boards

and Committees. Its recommendations have been

accepted in principle by the Hong Kong Executive

Council and action is being taken to recruit

a cadre of interpreters and provide the

necessary equipment. So far as the Legislative

Council and the Urban Council are concerned,

it is hoped that the system will be in

operation by mid-1972.

/Second

CONFIDENTI AL