TNAG-1161-FCO40-1441-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Hong-Kong--1982 — Page 119

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of India to which we ecure special loyalty as a free and democratic member of the Common- eith whore oin devekant 1, our deverest wish. D. velepment of robotic as relations such as those I have describd with China though Hong Kong would not be possible if China and Ina were engaged in a border war. I have this week called upon the Indian High Com- missioner to fell him that this proposal which I am making, far from being unfriendly to India, is intended to rement the foundations of peace. I think this is understood. No one understands more clearly than our friends and col- leagues in New Delhi that a necessary foundation for peace is the end of poverty and hang and the development of the cropomy in China as in India itself. We have stay orted many projects such as this in India, and carnestly hope that we shall suppert many greater projects. This proposal in relation to China and Hong Prag is therefore in no sense competitive with India, a country which has an even greater stake in the peace of South-East Asia than we have.

To suni up, I would ask whether we see Hong Kong like the string of crackers with which our Chinese friends so delight to welcome us, flashing and banging and then leaving the deepened stillness of a tropical night; or whether we see Hong Kong like a seed which will grow into હૈ tree which the children and the children's children of all those millions in China and in Hong Kong will see, and seeing, give thanks for the labour. the wisdom and the piety of their

ancestors.

I do not expect the Government to reply today to the points which I have made, but I would ask them to consider what they should do and to listen to the reaction and responses of our friends in the East; and then to respond with vigour.

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While, naturally, all of us on both sides of the House were very interested in the hon. Me ber's thoughtful sugges- tions bout de Coley's future, I feel that much of what he put forward is not practical at this moment. I love that The more appropriate way to strengthen Hong Kong is to surengthen her trade perition, that is, by strengthening her ties with and her markets in Southeast Asia and other parts of the world. While it is right that we should all give careful thought to such problems as the on. Member put forward with such care. I feel that there are other matters that we ought to discuss today.

The first thing that struck me when I heard that there was to be this debate was the vital necessity for the future of Hong Kong that the confidence of businessmen and other countries in Hong Kong should continue. When I returned from Hong Kong at the end of January I was wholeheartedly impressed with the drive and dynamism which ex is there. It has a population of 34 million people. increasing at a rate at the moment nearly 250,000 per year. Some of is natural increase and some is the of illegal immigration, with which I sh 1 deal later, if there is time. It is, the. fore, vital for Hong Kong that it she... expand to keep pace with the populati”. increase.

and is being done through the drive and

This expansion can be don

vigour of the Chinese "community and the help that it gets from our excellent administration in the Colony.

During a short visit to Red China, to Canion, I saw the industrial situation- I do not know whether the hon. Micinber has recently done so-in Kwantung Pro- vince, of the Chinese People's Republic. This is another reason which leads me to believe that now is not the moment to put forward economic suggestions for building industry in the way the hon. Member suggested. I do not believe that it could have practical acceptance from Peking at this moment.

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