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The question
wheher
would undoubtedly bring the total bill far higher. There is no doubt that it would ease political problems if the Hong Kong Government could reach agreement with the residents of the Walled City about compensation. However, if the negotiations are mis- managed, not only will the compensation insisted upon by the residents grow vastly larger but the political implications will grow more fraught.
9. These constraints are formidable though not, in my view, as formidable as the Hong Kong Government consider them.
It is my view that the Hong Kong Government are more sensitive than they need be to Peking's views and that, given the enormous benefit which mainland China harvests annually from Hong Kong, the Peking Government could well be asked to turn a blind eye to a number of policies which did not please them, the reduction of the Walled City included. I should in fairness say that the Hong Kong Government is moving on this matter: as I have said, over-height buildings have in the past been reduced or demolished; late last year the Governor's Security Committee considered (but I do not know what decision they took) that a Working Party should be set up under the direction of the Secretary for Security to prepare detailed proposals for the enforcement of the Airport Ordinance in respect of those Walled City buildings which exceeded the permitted heights. This is all going to take time, rather longer I suspect if the Hong Kong Government are allowed to go their own slow way (I suspect that for bad bureaucratic reasons they are moving more slowly than even their own estimate of the constraints allows) and rather shorter if we express an interest in the nature and speed of their activities.
10. I am sure that we have a right to intervene here. As I have said, an accident, even a near accident, would involve HMG politically, perhaps constitutionally. In my view, the best way we could show an interest would be for you to write to the Secretary for Security expressing our interest and concern, asking to know what the present state of play is and arguing that, if a decision is eventually taken that nothing be done about the Walled City, that you will need to inform Ministers here. This can do no harm and it might do a lot of good. Do you agree? Further action could hang on the terms of Mr Davies' reply.
11. I am copying this minute to MTD for any views they might have and am attaching to this minute, for entry perhaps with it, the department's few papers on this subject.
د کر کر کے
13/1/77
Copy to: Miss Watson, M & TD
Mr Orr FED
T J DAVID
Hong Kong Department
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