PRZ CITY
GR 323
CYPHER/CAT A
FM HONG KONG 1410272
CONFIDENTIAL
TO PRIORITY F.C.
CONFIDENTIAL
HKK 020/1
DALIT IN RIGSTKY NO. 51 16 AUG 1978
INDEX
No
OLSCER
PA
ORY
Titon
कह
TELNO.984 OF 14 AUGUST 78,
INFO PRIORITY PEKING AND WASHINGTON.
PA
88
БНК
Tel sent to ḤK
at Governors
reg
vest
anks
FOLLOWING FOR CORTAZZI.
PEKING TELNOS,469, 470 AND 471 * SINO-BRITISH RELATIONS.
1. I HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY COMMENTED ON THIS SERIES OF TELEGRAMS SINCE THEY WERE PRIMARILY ABOUT DIRECT SINO-U.K RELATIONS AND THE HONG KONG ANGLE WAS WELL COVERED.
2. 1 UNDERSTAND, HOWEVER, THAT LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS IS TO HOLD
AN OFFICE MEETING ON FRIDAY TO DISCUSS THE AMBASSADOR'S PROPOSALS.
YOU MIGHT FIND IT USEFUL FOR THAT MEETING TO HAVE CONFIRMATION
OF HOW WE SEE MATTERS FROM HERE.
3. 1 ENTIRELY AGREE WITH THE AMBASSADOR THAT A CHINESE GOVERNMENT
BENT ON MODERNISATION IS IN OUR INTERESTS. HONG KONG'S ROLE AS
A PROVIDER OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE HAS BEEN A KEY FACTOR IN CHINA'S
ATTITUDE TOWARDS HONG KONG EVEN WHEN MODERNISATION HAS NOT BEEN
THE DOMINANT THEME IT NOW IS. WITH THE PRESENT CHINESE PRIORITIES,
HONG KONG'S ROLE BECOMES EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, NOT JUST TO HELP PAY FOR IMPORTS FROM ELSEWHERE BUT ALSO AS A WINDOW ON WESTERN
TECHNOLOGY AND ORGANISATION, IT IS THEREFORE VERY MUCH IN OUR
INTERESTS THAT THE MODERNISERS SHOULD REMAIN IN CONTROL AND, TO ACHIEVE THIS, THAT THEIR AMBITIOUS PLANS SHOULD SHOW RESULTS.
SUCH SUCCESS OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT DEPEND ON THE U.K ALONE. NEVER- THELESS, THE MORE THE U.K IS INVOLVED THE BETTER WILL BE THE POLITICAL CLIMATE FOR HONG KONG DURING THE NEXT FEW YEARS WHICH, AS THE AMBASSADOR POINTS OUT, WILL BE A CRITICAL PERIOD FOR HONG KONG'S LONGER-TERM FUTURE.
CONFIDENTIAL
14. IN
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