TNAG-0571-FCO40-704-Planning-paper-on-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 177

CONFIDENTIAL

香港總督府

76

REC

61

Copy to PPS. to Rose Saraming

P.S. to Pus

Mr Karrowx

Ma Male

19

GOVERNMENT HOUSEMr Lipaly.

HONG KONG

Mr O'Keefe

2nd July 1976 for early obs

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Des Hugh,

9 JUL 1976

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Thank you for your letter of 18th June enclosing the redraft of the planning paper on Hong Kong It is a vast improvement, but you asked me to let you know if there are still any points with which I disagree.

Ae

2.

Successive redrafts have eliminated from the paper passages which were factually misleading or based on serious misconceptions, or on which the Hong Kong Government could not deliver. I am naturally particularly concerned with the latter aspect but am satisfied with and indeed welcome specifics set out in paragraph 23 of Annex C and Annex D. These are based on or are extensions of current programmes and policies, are desirable and realisable and should be regarded as firm commitments - accidents apart. This seems to me much the most important outcome of the paper - that we are agreed on a programme which assuming reasonable economic growth will eliminate material and social deficiencies within a measurable period of time and bring Hong Kong up to and in several respects above the best com- parable Asian standards.

3.

Juni

For the rest the paper is not a treaty Of course!

but a planning paper and Denys Roberts and I see no economy advantage and some risk in pushing objections to small is important passages which seem from here unfair or slanted, or to the

perfunctory nature of references to the economy, which after

& this is

recognized all offers the only basis for social advance, except

The paper external aid.

You no doubt have your own reasons for the wording and presentation chosen, and we are content to leave it to you.

Given the circumstances in which the paper was written it seems to me as sound an outcome as could be hoped for.

4.

There are however some points of substance, outside the specifics in para 23 of Annex C and in Annex D

H. Cortazzi Esq., CMG

CONFIDENTIAL