TNAG-1239-FCO40-1552-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 53

have caused the local people considerable alarm. They ask

themselves is the UK Government saying "Well, we will do our

best for you in these negotiations, but basically Hong Kong

is Chinese and we want to ensure that if it goes back to

China, there is not a large influx of people into the United

Kingdom". Personally I do not think that is the reason. I

have heard it said that the British Nationality Act is

specially aimed against Hong Kong, I do not think that is

true. I do not think that the U.K. Government, be it

Conservative, Liberal Social-Democratic Alliance, or even

Labour, would let Hong Kong down. That is not their

respective platforms, and I think that this all talk about

hidden motives for the Act could only cause the negotiators

in Peking to have a more difficult task. The law has not

really been substantially changed since 1962 when

restrictions were first imposed on people holding a British

Passport, who were not born in the U.K. Further, the

British Nationality Bill was first drawn up before the

question of 1997 appeared to be important, so I do not think

the U.K. Government will let the people of Hong Kong down.

Besides which it is not in the interest of the great nation

of China, who, with all its billions of people, would not

know what to do with another 6 million people brought up in

this cosmopolitan city where East meets West, nor of the UK

Government, whose interests alone are considerable in this

great city of Hong Kong, nor, of course, the interests of

Hong Kong people, not to have an eventual settlement which

ensures stability.

·

Hong Kong is not just great, because it is at

present a manufacturing centre enjoying all the rights the

Reform Club seeks to preserve in Stage 1. It is also great

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