TNAG-0588-FCO40-721-Publications-on-Hong-Kong-affairs-in-UK-Fabian-Society-pamph-1976 — Page 26

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RECORD OF A MEETING BETWEEN THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS, MR JAMES JOHNSON MP AND MR BEN FORD MP HELD AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE ON WEDNESDAY 11 FEBRUARY 1976 AT 11AM

Present:

Lord Goronwy-Roberts

Mr Galsworthy

Mr Janvrin

Mr James Johnson MP

Mr Ben Ford MP

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HONG KONG:

FABIAN PAMPHLET

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1. Lord Goronwy-Roberts said that he considered the recently published Fabian pamphlet, "Hong Kong:

Britain's Responsibility" by Mr Joe England, to be a most constructive and useful study; was being taken very seriously.

2. Mr James Johnson agreed and said that it provided plenty of scope for close scrutiny. He had asked for this meeting to suggest to Lord Goronwy-Roberts that a special all-party committee should be appointed by HMG to investigate the constitutional situation in Hong Kong, with the aim of producing a White Paper on the subject for debate in the House of Commons. There was a precedent for this: a similar committee had studied the situation in Kenya during 1953. He thought that such an approach was to be preferred to a much publicised. Commission of Inquiry or a formal Select Committee of the House of Commons.

3. Lord Goronwy-Roberts said that he obviously could not respond definitively to this suggestion. However, he was attracted by the idea of a fairly small all-party committee to look at the institutional arrangements in Hong Kong acting in concert with the Hong Kong Government. He made the point that any investigation must take due regard to the special problems and the economic and social background of Hong Kong. He particularly emphasized that any inquiry must avoid provoking a hostile Chinese reaction, which could, if taken far enough, produce catastrophic results for both Hong Kong and the UK, and at the least prevent us from making any progress in reform in Hong Kong.

14.

Mr Johnson said that such a committee would have to be- appointed by Her Majesty's Government and contain Members, possibly (though not necessarily) with knowledge of the situation in Hong Kong, who would be able to take evidence and talk at all levels in the Colony. He considered that this was the only way to make progreso, particularly to meet the constant and politically damaging criticism in the UK about conditions in the Colony.

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