:
D.
THE NUMBER COMING INTO HONG KONG IS NOW ONE-TENTH OF THE NUMBERS
THAT HAVE BEEN COMING IN A FEW MONTHS AGO AND I THINK THAT SHOULD PERSUADE VIETNAM BY EVERY MEANS AVAILABLE THAT THIS IS
A BETTER POLICY FOR THEM TO FOLLOW THAN WHAT SHE WAS DOING IN
THE SUMMER SO THAT I HOPE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO PERSUADE VIETNAM TO CONTINUE THE PRESENT MORATORIUM,"
ON THE COMMENT BY THE THREE M.PS WHO RECENTLY VISITED HONG KONG (PARRY,CANAVAN, COWANS) THAT HONG KONG WAS A POLICE STATE,
MINISTER SAID HE HAD NOT HEARD THAT REMARK, BUT IT WOULD BE A VERY SERIOUS MIS-STATEMENT OF THE FACTS.
''I WOULD BE VERY SURPRISED IF THE THREE M.PS HAD REALLY
INTENDED TO MAKE SUCH A REMARK SO WIDEE OF THE FACT. BUT I THINK
IT IS USEFUL TO SAY THIS - THAT THERE ARE 635 BRITISH M.PS, MOST
OF THEM BACK-BENCHERS. THEY HAVE WIDELY DIFFERENT OPINIONS.
THEY HAVE WIDELY DIFFERENT VIEWS. THEY LIKE EXPRESSING THEIR
VIEWS. AND WHEN M.PS COME HERE AS BACKBENCHERS THEY DO SO
QUITE FREELY. THE THREE M.PS WHO RECENTLY CAME WERE SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES ALONE AS FAR AS I KNOW. THEY WERE CERTAINLY NOT
SPEAKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT. THEY WERE NOT SPEAKING FOR THE
LABOUR PARTY LEADERSHIP BECAUSE THE LABOUR PARTY LEADERSHIP
WHEN IT WAS IN POWER UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF MAY THIS YEAR WAS
PURSUING POLICIES WHICH WERE ENTIRELY AT VARIANCE WITH THE SORT
OF THINGS THAT THE RECENT VISITORS WERE SAYING.....THEY ARE NOT
SPEAKING FOR THE ANGLO-HONG KONG PARLIAMENTARY GROUP WHICH CONTAINS QUITE A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER OF M.PS AND THE VIEWS OF
MOST MEMBERS WOULD BE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF THE THREE
RECENT VISITORS.....''
REGARDING EEC'S RESTRICTIVE MEASURES AGAINST HONG KONG'S
TEXTILES, MINISTER SAID WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO PROTECT HONG
KONG'S INTERESTS IN GENERAL, IN TRADE DISCUSSIONS IN THE EEC.''
HE SAID HE HAD REPLIED TO A NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIONS MADE
TO HIM ABOUT THE PRESENT REGIME FOR HONG KONG'S TEXTILE EXPORTS
THAT IT WOULD BE UNREALISTIC TO EXPECT THAT BRITAIN COULD CHANGE
THE EXISTING ARRANGEMENT WHICH WAS AGREED BETWEEN THE EEC
COUNTRIES NOT LONG AGO.
ON THE QUESTION OF THE NEW TERRITORIES LEASE,, MINISTER SAID IT IS A MATTER FOR THE FUTURE.
- 2.
/ EARLIER AT A
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