TNAG-0389-FCO40-435-Visit-of-trade-mission-of-the-London-Chamber-of-Commerce-and-1973 — Page 37

CONFIDENTIAL

MR STUART

BRITAIN'S IMAGE IN HONG KONG

1.

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I have read with much interest the perspicacious comments on Hong Kong in the latter part of Sir Patrick Reilly's

letter of 31 October to Sir T Brimelow.

2.

I do not myself think it surprising that British officials and businessmen in Hong Kong should identify themselves very closely with the colony. That is the normal colonial syndrome though as far as the officials are concerned, it is one of the worrying features of our relations with the colony that they do tend to take this identification beyond a due point. It is one thing to fight your colony's battle stoutly with Whitehall; it is another to forget that you have any responsibility at all for British interests. But Hong Kong has always been a very closed and parochial service. And this tendency is intensified with Hong Kong now more than ever a booming and prosperous place which but for the accidents of history and geography would have already become independent. The basic problem in Hong Kong is that it must remain a colony (and we cannot ignore British interests in administering it) but the

people naturally want to behave independently.

3.

This presents the Governor with a very delicate task. In the normal way it is the job of the Governor and his officials to project Britain in a colony. But Hong Kong is not normal; and there are limits beyond which the Governor cannot go in appearing to represent Britain and Britain's interest if he is to retain the confidence of the people he is administering. 4.

It may be that in this situation we ought, as Sir Patrick Reilly suggests, to consider other ways of boosting Britain in the colony. Mr Aston has, as we know, been pressing for some time for a somewhat broader remit of this kind. idea however has its obvious snags. We should be going at least some way towards the setting up of a British mission in a colony, which would be odd constitutionally and in practice, though that is not necessarily a final argument against it. More difficult however is the possible risk of Mr Aston finding himself crossing wires with the Governor, if he sets about boosting Britain in ways or on topics from which the Governor feels himself to be politically precluded. To extend

The

/Mr Aston's

CONFIDENTIAL