TNAG-1138-FCO40-1418-Valedictory-despatch-by-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Ho-1982 — Page 19

香港總督府

SECRET

GOVERNMENT HOUSE

HONG KONG

17th April 1982

Sir,

Part I

-

Preparation for Settlement of the Future

My 10-and-a-half years here have been dominated, for me, by the prospect of negotiation about Hong Kong's future in the early or mid 80s. Were the Colony then to be of little interest to China or the United Kingdom and with inhabitants indifferent to British rule, the outcome would be dismal. But if on the contrary, the colony were to be prosperous, cohesive, contented, and respected in the UK and internationally, financially valuable to and accepted by China, and enjoying conditions. not matched elsewhere on the mainland, it would be quite a different prospect. So successful government would have important external as well as domestic implications.

2

The colony was already prosperous,

but all factors pointed to a major effort of

economic and social advance that would make good the defects and reputation caused by past years of overwhelming population growth, and also to an effort to achieve good relations with China.

The Rt Hon Francis Leslie Pym MC Secretary of State for Foreign and

Commonwealth Affairs

SECRET

13.