TNAG-0334-FCO40-370-Visits-of-Secretary-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-Af-1972 — Page 8

CONFIDENTIAL

Brief No. 2

SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG

FEBRUARY 1972

RELATIONS BETWEEN HONG KONG

AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

(DEFENSIVE)

POINTS TO BE MADE IN DISCUSSION WITH UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS OF

EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS

(1)

(2)

By any normal standards the people of Hong Kong would

be well able to manage their own affairs. At the

same time informed opinion in the Colony realises

that because of China there can be no progress towards

self-government, with all that that would involve.

The Secretary of State has a constitutional

responsibility to Parliament for the administration

of Hong Kong. Although we have no desire whatever to

intervene unnecessarily in the affairs of the

Colony we cannot ignore this responsibility;

nor can we deny Members of Parliament their right

to interest themselves in Hong Kong's affairs.

many Members of Parliament have the interests of

Hong Kong very much at heart.

Indeed

(3) This state of affairs understandably proves irksome to

Hong Kong at times but it cannot be accepted that the

situation in general operates to Hong Kong's disadvan-

tage.

Indeed it would not be unreasonable to say

that the basic overseas confidence in the Colony's

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CONFIDENTIAL

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