TNAG-1233-FCO40-1546-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 38

GR 500

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY FCO 191000Z

DESKBY PEKING 190600Z

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 190355Z JAN 83

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 87 OF 19 JANUARY

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING (PERSONAL FOR AMBASSADOR)

HKK:240|

19 JAN 1983

(42)

INDEX

18.26.

TOPCOPY

MIPT

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: HKGCC SPEECH.

THE RELEVANT TEXT OF THE SPEECH IS AS FOLLOWS:-

WHEN I REFERRED A MOMENT AGO TO SOME OF OUR PROBLEMS BEING DIFFERENT FROM THOSE WHICH HONG KONG HAD FACED BEFORE, YOU WILL HAVE GUESSED THAT AMONG THEM I INCLUDE THE PROBLEM OF THE FUTURE. THE QUESTION OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997 IS NOW UPPERMOST IN PEOPLE'S MINDS. THE DATE IS STILL MANY YEARS AWAY: IT DOES NOT COME TOMORROW: BUT IT IS NATURAL THAT PEOPLE SHOULD

WISH TO BE REASSURED ON AN ISSUE SO FUNDAMENTAL TO THEIR LIVES

AND THEIR LIVELIHOOD. GIVEN THIS CONCERN I MAY PERHAPS BE FORGIVEN FOR REMINDING YOU OF SOME OF THE FUNDAMENTALS WHICH IN THE WELTER OF SPECULATION IN RECENT MONTHS HAVE BEEN OVERLAID

BUT HAVE NOT CHANGED.

THE FIRST IS THAT ALL THE PARTIES INVOLVED HAVE A STRONG

SHARED INTEREST IN THE SUCCESS OF THE TALKS ON THE FUTURE. THE UK

AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS STATED AT THE TIME OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S

VISIT THEIR ''COMMON'' AIM TO MAINTAIN THE FUTURE PROSPERITY OF

THE TERRITORY. THAT WAS ONLY FOUR MONTHS AGO. NOTHING WHICH HAS

HAPPENED SINCE THEN HAS CHANGED THAT AIM.

THE SECOND IS THAT THE SOLUTION WILL HAVE TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE INTERESTS NOT ONLY OF THE UK AND CHINA BUT OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WHOSE FUTURE IT IS. IN THIS CONNEXION I AM SURPRISED BY SUGGESTIONS THAT THE WISHES OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ARE NOT BEING EXPRESSED OR, IF THEY ARE, ARE NOT BEING TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. THIS SHOWS LITTLE UNDERSTANDING OF THE WAY IN WHICH

IN THIS TERRITORY THE VIEWS OF ORGANISATIONS, BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS AND THE MAN IN THE STREET ARE REFLECTED UPWARDS TO GOVERNMENT. IF PEOPLE WISH TO MAKE THEIR VIEWS PUBLIC, THE PRESS AND MEDIA ARE ALWAYS READY TO GIVE THEM SPACE. IF THEY WISH TO CONVEY THEIR VIEWS MORE QUIETLY AND MORE DELIBERATELY, AND MANY DO, THERE ARE NUMEROUS CHANNELS OPEN TO THEM. THERE CAN BE FEW PLACES IN THE WORLD WHERE THESE CHANNELS ARE SO OPEN AND WHERE CONTACT IS SO EASY AND IN CONSEQUENCE WHERE THOSE AT THE TOP IN GOVERNMENT ARE SO QUICKLY AND CONSTANTLY AWARE OF THE OPINIONS BEING EXPRESSED IN THE COMMUNITY FROM THE PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES TO THE BANKS AND THE LARGE COMPANIES IN CENTRAL. AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FORGOTTEN LET ME REMIND THEM THAT THE PRIME MINISTER HERSELF GAVE AN ASSURANCE TO THE DELEGATION OF UNOFFICIALS WHICH SHE SAW IN SEPTEMBER THAT THOSE VIEWS WOULD BE REPRESENTED IN THE TALKS IN

PEKING.

/ THIRDLY

CONFIDENTIAL