TNAG-0334-FCO40-370-Visits-of-Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Af-1972 — Page 148

HKK 22/5

PINK

Defensive

CONFIDENTIAL

Brief No.!

PB

Secretary of State's Visit to Hong Kong

February, 1972

Defence Contribution

Points to be made

(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 costs 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...

CONFIDENTIAL