TNAG-0850-FCO40-1060-Future-of-Hong-Kong-New-Territories-leases-1979 — Page 31

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Now someone from the back of the seminar pipes up:

"Surely, since we all know that relations between Britain and China over the question of Hongkong are excellent, indeed, year by year they are declared to be better than last year, it ought to possible to work out some sort of formula to allow the post-1997 leases to be issued in a way that will satisfy the international bankers and China and then the whole problem will go away?"

Good point, in fact a the key point. Except that for some strange reason, it has not yet been done, and as far as we can see, there are no plans for it to be done. Consider the following Parliamentary Questions:

Mr. Frank Hooley asked the Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Her Majesties Government has any plans to issue leases inxt on land in the New Territories (Hong Kong) beyond 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Evan Luard: We have no such plans at present.

(Hansard: 10 Jan 1978.)

Mr. Stan Newens asked the Lord Privy Seal what negotiations have taken place between Her Majesty's Government and the Chinese Government concerning the extension, revision, cessation or other variation of the whole er any part of the Convention

Fr

of Peking 1898: and whether Her Majesty's Government is considering ignoring or unilaterally abrogating any part of the treaty.

Mr. Peter Blaker. No such negotiations have taken place. Her Majesty's Government have no intention of ignoring or unilaterally

abrogating any part of the treaty.

(Hansard 26 July 1979 Col. 401).

And finally let us introduce the Clown. In fact he cartwheeled into the answer to the last question, gaily dressed, with "Made in Hongkong" stamped on his backside, with one foot round his neck and the other in his mouth. Mxxxbabxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx His name is Peter Blaker and he is the Tory Government's replacement for Evan Luard as junio Minister mat the Foreign Office. He was born in Hong Kong to the powerful Blaker banking dynasty, his father, Cedric Blaker having been the Chairman of the H.K. & Shanghai Bank (and Chairman of virtually everything else that made a bob or two in the early 1950's). Mr. Bob Parry M.P. wants to question him: