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Republic of China will probably be content, but, should Hong Kong's economy deteriorate to the extent that there was widespread industrial unrest, there could be serious political reper- cussions. It must be remembered that something over a million of these people voted with their feet when they left China and it would be morally wrong and surely contrary to British policy to abandon them.
(3) It is hoped that the Hong Kong Polytechnic
will be pushed along as fast as possible and it will need maximum help from O.D.A. and T.E.T.0.0. Among other things, it will need a library and it is suggested that tangible aid from the U.K. Govern- ment might be given in the form of books. Assuming a build-up over four years, the cost of these is likely to be in the region of £400,000, of which the U.K. Government might contribute £200,000.
(4) There have recently been rumours that Hong Kong
will be asked to restrict its exports of man-made fibre and woollen textiles to this country, following the recent American restrictions.
This would be another blow to a developing country and I hope the Government will resist pressure to impose such restrictions and, indeed, on footwear, cutlery, table and steel tableware also.
Finally, it is often pointed out to me that Hong Kong sells more to this country than it buys from it. This is so but, per head of population in 1971, Hong Kong bought £26 of British goods, whereas the U.K. bought only just over £3 of Hong Kong goods.
Peter Blaker, Esq., M.P., House of Commons,
London, S.W.1.
Yours sincerely,
Jeffrey
(J.I.14mm)
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