position. Strange though it may seen to us, given the status of Hong Kong
as a colony, I think all those who have been there would aolmowledge the
fact that the credibility of the Govenor and the officials has an important
bearing on the successful administration of the colony. Whereas I had the
task to negotiate the best deal for Britain, I had to recognise that any
agreement would have to win a degree of genuine consent in Hong Kong if it
was to stick, and if it was not to undermine the position of the Hong Kong
Governor. I think we can reach an agreement which will be fair to both sides
and which will be broadly acceptable to our constituents, and by that I
mean the Government, of which I am a member, and on the other hand, to the
articulate population of Hong Kong who set the environment in which the
Governor and official members of the Ixecutive Council carry out their work.
Q. Did any unofficial members come into these talks? Did you have the
Chinese element in some of these talks? As far as we understood it they were
present at one, but not at another.
There may be sone reason for this.
Coupled with that I would like to say this to you: are you satisfied
that if they pay this type of contribution, which will be over half, that
we shall not then get local pressure from the Hong Kong Government to secure
some degree of control over the service expenditure? It all reverts back
to the Ministry of Defence and what you spend there. They might say they
want more on the Navy and less on the Army. A. On your first question,
I was bound to negotiate with the Government of Hong Kong and decisions
on whether I should speak directly to the unofficials were decisions I left
to the Governor who, I thought, ought to decide what made the best sense.
In fact, at a plenary session, shortly after my arrival, I set out the
United Kingdon case, and therefore made clear my sterling point.
The
unofficials then made their own viewn clear, though the Governor said they
spoke with more restraint in my resence than they did elsewhere. The
Governor chose to allow me to take note of what the unofficials said rather
than reply to then. I attended a lunch with the unofficiels which was ruch
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