TNAG-0334-FCO40-370-Visits-of-Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Af-1972 — Page 144

CONFIDENTIAL

Brief No 10

SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG

FEBRUARY, 1972

DEFENCE CONTRIBUTION

DEFENSIVE

POINTS TO BE MADE

v(1) It has been the accepted doctrine since the last

century that a dependent territory should contribute

towards the costs of its own defence according to its

capacity to pay.

(2) It is true that few, if any, other colonial territories

have contributed to the cost of their own defence on

the same scale as Hong Kong has done over the years.

But this tends to obscure the fact that many territories

have not paid defence contributions because they have

been defended by essentially local forces paid for from

the local budget to which Her Majesty's Government has

contributed as necessary.

(3) Even with the many other calls upon its budget, which

undoubtedly exist, for the provision of social and

other services, the Colony's prosperity is such as to

enable it, without undue difficulty, to contribute

towards the cost of its garrison on the scale that has

been agreed. The presence of the garrison is of

undoubted economic benefit to Hong Kong and indeed helps

in a vital way to engender and maintain that confidence

upon which the whole economy of the Colony depends.

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CONFIDENTIAL

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