CONFIDENTIAL
4
The move was warmly welcomed by the press. Ming Pao viewed the new agreement with China as a goodwill gesture by Beijing because it was entirely in favour of HK. The paper hoped China would adopt the same attitude in looking after HK's interests to bring about a satisfactory settlement on the territory's fuutre. The Ming Pao Evening Post described the agreement as a "Christmas present" from China and hoped that the Chinese authorities would shortly reduce the number of legal arrivals to 50 a day. The paper, together with the left-wing Tin Fung Yat Po, said it was against Chinese law for two-way permit holders to overstay in HK. The New Evening Post and the HK Commercial Daily described the move as reasonable and said it would help reduce pressure generated by new arrivals on HK. The two papers also said the new agreement showed that many problems could be resolved by co-operation between HK and Guangdong and basically HK's interests did not conflict with China's. Sing Pao also echoed the views on mounting pressure brought about by immigration and said the closed door policy did not mean that we did not welcome our compatriots, but simply we did not have the means to do so.
4.
REMARKS OF FOREIGN SECRETARY:
The papers carried reports of proceedings in the House of Commons on 22 December when MPs asked the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Pym, about the talks on HK's future. The Foreign Secretary said that for reasons which would be obvious the contents of the meetings must remain confidential. Asked to confirm that an urgent objective must be to restore international confidence in HK and its currency, Mr. Pymn replied that the Government certainly wished to maintain confidence in HK and prepare the way for maintaining it beyond 1997. Mr. Pym was also asked if he understood HK's sense of insecurity and whether HK people would be consulted on the outcome of the talks: he replied that international negotiations were not normally successfully concluded unless conducted confidentially; and the views of HK people would be taken fully into account. One MP said some of the uncertainty had been caused by HK people deluding themselves about a quick and easy outcome, and the Foreign Secretary should give an assurance that nothing would be done to harm Britain's long term interests with China which took precedence over HK. Mr. Pym replied that HK's interests were also important to China and what mattered was that the talks should produce a successful result.
The papers also carried London reports that Mr. Pym said HK's economic importance to China and the crucial position of the HK dollar were emerging as key elements in the Anglo-Chinese negotiations. The SCMP said Mr. Pym had gone farther than he had ever gone before in commenting on the diplomatic talks, held so far under a cloak of strict confidentiality. It was difficult, Mr. Pym had said, to give a precise assessment of HK's contribution to the Chinese economy, but Chinese leaders had frequently acknowledged HK's importance to their four modernisations programme. Mr. Pym was asked if he agreed that it was essential to a successful outcome for the Chinese Government to clearly understand two points: that the benefits received from HK in markets, foreign exchange, etc. far outweighed any benefit to Britain; and that the continuance of HK and those
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.