TNAG-0687-FCO40-836-Disturbances-by-police-in-Hong-Kong-1977 — Page 141

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[1 APRIL 1976]

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Hong calling attention to the devastating effect of miserably paid competition from Hong Kong, in particular, and South-East Asia, in general, which was putting people here out of work and destroying our cotton textile industry. I recall my noble friend Ford Brockway and I, who were both members of War on Want, being almost attacked by fellow Members of Parlia- ment for trying to undermine the stability of the workers in Hong Kong and their conditions by suggesting that that com- petition was unfair. Of course, we replied, given fair conditions, that was exactly what we were asking for.

Thirty years have passed since then, and I dare say that many other speeches have been, made by myself and others. Now we take another look. The noble Baroness said correctly that the popula- tion has gone up since then from 600,000 to 44 million. I hope that she will for- give me for saying so, but she seemed to give the impression of speaking of that as some form of population planning which had produced benefits. It is not a good thing to be grossly overcrowded, particularly when out of the 400 acres that constitutes the established and the , leasehold parts of Hong Kong, the over- whelming majority of the population are on the Island of Hong Kong and Kow- loon, which represents only about a tenth of the total area. That is dreadful over- crowding.

When we look at it today, we find that Hong Kong contains 44 million people, 500 churches, 150 religions and 137 banks. One commentator says that there are the same numbers in the City of London,, but I find that difficult to believe in view of the growth in the City; banks are growing everywhere. There is a record of corruption almost unequalled in modern history, and there is practically no national debt. As the noble Baroness said, there is an admirable looking balance sheet. Hitler could have shown something similar, and so could Tiberius, || if the figures were available.

A dictatorship running on excessively low wages can, of course, show such figures: no national debt, and running an adverse trade balance with the United Kingdom which amounted, I think, in 1973 to £100 million a year. To be quite fair, I should say that they reduced it | in the following year to something nearer

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to £60 million. My noble friend Lord Brockway has detailed the failures of the Government of Hong Kong to implement the minimum standards of decency which are required.

Meanwhile, as the noble Lord said, and as everybody says there is no doubt about this-we exist by the courtesy of the Government of China. When I refer to China I no longer mean Taiwan, but President Nixon's China. They have behaved admirably. There is always a touch of pragmatism in their approach, and political pragmatism has an element of political cynicism. They find it quite convenient to have the entrepreneurial trade there; they find it equally con- venient to be able to point to Hong Kong as a horrid example of the evils of capitalism. They have not got any corruption in China, so far as anyone has yet been able to find out. They have helped in times of emergency, and on occasion they have shown temporary annoyance and, a demonstration of their power when, as a couple of years ago, they suddenly granted exit permits to a large number of the citizens that they regarded as most undesirable, and 50,000 came in to swell Hong Kong, to make a demand on housing, water supplies, and

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That is the position. But I should differ slightly from my noble friend on this. I think that the present Government of Hong Kong is probably the most honest they have ever had, and perhaps the most able. I think that this limitation of 21 years completely and absolutely con- trols possibilities of long-term planning now. One really cannot involve oneself in enormous capital expenditure, which cannot repay its debt or anything like it, if the country is passing to China. 'am not certain that it will pass to China, but it has to pass if they ask for it. Indeed, it could pass to China tomorrow if they have made a motion. Nobody questions that; it would be silly to say anything else. The Chinese could release a million of the civilian population which would not be noticed in China for a week or two. The problem could be solved without even any arms or any demonstrations. The Chinese have behaved, in the circumstances, with understanding and generosity, 'panɔddey sey jr Bay) Joyo as the noble Baroness said, is that the

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