TNAG-1231-FCO40-1544-Visit-by-Richard-Luce--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Com-1983 — Page 76

BRITISH GOVERNMENT MINISTERS IN HONG KONG. AND NOT ONLY DO

44 THINK THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF FAITH RIGHT UP IN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IN HIS GREAT ABILITY BUT HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE OF

HONG KONG WILL REALISE THAT HIS INJECTS AN ELEMENT OF CONTINUITY

WHICH IN THINK IS IMPORTANT TO THE DISCUSSIONS AND TALKS THAT WE'RE

HAVING BETWEEN BRITAIN AND CHINA.

QM. BY (NAUDIBLE) CHEUNG FROM THE HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL: MR LUCE, YOUR GOVERNMENT HAS STATED ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS TO HAVE

A MORAL COMMITMENT TO THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. DURING THE LAST COUPLE

OF YEARS WE HAVE REALLY BEEN SEEING SOME EXAMPLES POINTING TO THE

CONTRARY. THE MOST QUOTED EXAMPLES ARE THE ISSUE OF THE DOWNGRADING OF OUR PASSPORT AND OVERSEAS STUDENT FEES. WOULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN TO US THIS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT HAS BEEN SAND AND WHAT HAS BEEN

DONE BY YOUR GOVERNMENT?

A: YES, : WANT TO SAY, TAKING THESE TWO POINTS ABOUT STUDENTS AND PASSPORTS QUESTION WHICH MI THINK YOU'RE RAISING, THAT 1 UNDERSTAND FULLY WHY PEOPLE IN HONG KONG FELT ANXIOUS AND THOUGHT

THAT PERHAPS BRITAIN – AND IN FACT THIS IS A MISLEADING IMPRESSION

BUT NEVERTHELESS THOUGHT THAT BRITAN WAS TURNING THE WR BACKS ON

HONG KONG. THIS MUST START BY STRESSHNG COULD NOT BE FURTHER

FROM THE TRUTH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE, THE MINISTERS IN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT, COULD SEE THE REASONS FOR YOU FEELING THIS. NOW, ON THE STUDENTS QUESTION A

DECHSHION WAS TAKEN IN 1979 AS YOU RECALL TO WITHDRAW THE GENERAL

SUBSIDIES FOR SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN OUR COUNTRY. SINCE THEN

AND

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WE HAVE BEEN RETHINKING THIS VERY CAREFULLY IN THE LIGHT OF OUR

ANXIETY OF THE EFFECTS OF THIS NOT ONLY HF MAY SAY ON THE STUDENTS OF HONG KONG WHICH AS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, BUT ON MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH - MALAYSHA'S A GOOD EXAMPLE

BUT THERE ARE MANY, MANY OTHER EXAMPLES THAT WE ALL KNOW OF

AS A RESULT OF THIS YOU WILL KNOW THAT WE HAVE NOW INTRODUCED A NEW SCHEME WHICH MS DESIGNED TO BUILD ON CO-OPERATION BETWEEN COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES AND OURSELVES IN ORDER TO ASSIST STUDENTS

COMING ACROSS TO BRITAIN. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE DEVISED

OF A SPECIAL NATURE AS FAR AS HONG KONG'S CONCERNED BY MEANS OF A JOINT FUNDING SCHEME BETWEEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THAT JOINT FUNDING SCHEME HOPE WILL BE OF ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS. WE WANT TO HAVE - BECAUSE IT'S A BRNT KSH HINTEREST - AS MANY HONG KONG STUDENTS AS POSSIBLE IN THIS COUNTRY. ON THE PASSPORT QUESTION, AGAIN OF COURSE HT HAS TO BE SEEN AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BRITISH NATHONALITY ACT, AND THAT ACT WAS NOT RELATED TO HONG KONG THAT ACT WAS RELATED TO MODERNISING OUR LAWS TO DO WITH NATIONALITY SO THAT BRITISH CITIZENSHIP AND THE RIGHTS OF ABODE WOULD IN FUTURE COINCIDE AND, OF COURSE, CONSEQUENCES FLOWED FROM THAT, AND WHITH REGARD TO A PARTICULAR ANXIETY ABOUT THE PASSPORT QUESTION MY ATTENTION WAS DRAWN WHEN FIRST BECAME MINISTER OF STATE EARLIER THIS YEAR IN THE SUMMER, TO PAGE 5 OF THE PASSPORT WHICH I KNOW WAS CAUSHING ANXIETY TO SOME PEOPLE, AND I'M VERY PLEASED THAT WE WERE ABLE TO MEET THESE ANXIETIES AT THE REQUEST OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND HOPE THAT HAS EASED THE SITUATION AND THE ANXIETIES OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG.

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