TNAG-1253-FCO40-1586-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 71

ABOUT WHAT ITS IMPLICATIONS ARE. SO IF WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT STABILIT WE MUST ALSO BE CONCERNED ABOUT POLITICAL PROCESSES IN COUNTRIES, NOT INTRUSIVELY, BUT BE AWARE OF THEIR NATURE AND WHAT EFFECTS THEY MIGHT HAVE. WE MUST BE INTERESTED IN THEIR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR REDISTRIBUTIONAL PROGRAMS AND IT REQUIRES ADDITIONALLY A MUCH BETTER INFORMED MIND ON THE PART OF AUSTRALIANS ABOUT THE CULTURE, THE HISTORY AND THE COMPLEXITY OF THE NATIONS WHICH ARE IN OUR REGION.

IT IS IN THAT SENSE THAT I HAVE UNDERTAKEN A SERIES OF INITIATIVES WHICH HAVE CLEARLY DESIGNED TO EMPHASISE A GENUINE CON CERN ABOUT THESE MATTERS AND A WISH FOR AUSTRALIA TO HAVE A MUCH MORE ACTIVE PRESENCE IN THE REGION, A CO-OPERATIVE PRESENCE AND I HOPE A PRODUCTIVE ONE. THE PURPOSE WILL BE OVER TIME TO ESTABLISH BY EXPERIENCE THE RIGHT OF AUSTRALIA, ITS ACCEPTANCE, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE REGION. WE CANNOT GO ON BELIEVING THAT WE WOULD ALWAYS BE HELD UP BY EUROPE OR NORTH AMERICA BECAUSE WE ARE EUROPEAN ETHNIC- ALLY, CULTURALLY, SOCIALLY, HISTORICALLY AND SO ON. IN FACT THE EVIDENCE IS THAT THE EUROPEANS AREN'T TERRIBLY SENTIMENTAL WHEN IT COMES TO COMMERCIAL MATTERS.

SO I AM NOW IN HONG KONG AND MY CONCERN HERE IS WHAT DOES 1997 MEAN WHEN THE ARRANGEMENTS, THE TREATY ARRANGEMENTS IN RESPECT OF HONG KONG, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, EXPIRE. THERE ARE FIVE AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE HERE. IT IS A VITAL SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC | CENTRE IN THE WORLD AND PARTICULARLY IN OUR REGION. IT IS ONE OF

THE MAJOR FINANCIAL CENTRES OF THE WORLD. IT IS, I SEEM TO RECALL, THE LARGEST, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL CENTRE IN THIS REGION. THE TRANSITION, ONE PRESUMES IT WOULD TAKE PLACE IN SOME FORM, FROM BRITAIN TO MAINLAND CHINA WILL BRING A NUMBER OF CON SEQUENCES IN ITS WAKE. DEPENDING ON HOW THAT TRANSITION IS ADDRESSED, HOW IT TAKES PLACE AND HOW IT FUNCTIONS AFTER 1997, THEN THERE WOULD BE A NUMBER OF CONSEQUENCES FOR THE REGION AND PARTICULARLY FOR US AS PART OF THE REGION. IF IT WERE TO BE BADLY HANDLED THEN AUSTRALIA WOULD HAVE A JUSTIFIABLE CONCERN ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT. IF IT IS SENSIBLY AND SUCCESSFULLY HANDLED THEN THERE WILL BE SUSTAINED STABILITY WITHIN THE AREA. MY PURPOSE IS TO TRY TO FIND OUT HOW PEOPLE FEEL IN HONG KONG ABOUT THE PROSPECTS FOR THIS PROCESS, ANTE, AT THE POINT OF, AND POST. THE IMPRESSION I GET IS THAT THERE IS A GENERAL FEELING THAT THE PROCESSES WILL BE MANAGED SUCCESSFULLY. I DON'T WANT TO INTERPOLATE HERE THAT MY CONSULTATIONS ON THIS MATTER ARE NOT NOVEL. WHEN MR WU, THE FOREIGN MINISTER FOR CHINA, WAS IN AUSTRALIA ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN WEEKS AGO 1 HAD SEVERAL EXTENDED DISCUSSIONS WITH HIM ON THIS SUBJECT. - WHAT HE SOUGHT TO IMPRINT ON MY MIND WAS THE CLEAR DETERMINATION OF CHINA TO ENSURE THAT THERE WOULD BE A SMOOTH PROCESS. HE STATED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO DOUBT THAT POST-1997 HONG KONG, UNDER WHATEVER THE ARRANGEMENTS WOULD BE, WOULD FUNCTION THEN AS IT HAD FUNCTIONED UP UNTIL THAT POINT, AS IT FUNCTIONS TODAY. HE SAID THAT CHINA RECOGNISED THAT FOR HONG KONG TO BE SUCCESSFUL IT WOULD HAVE TO OPERATE AS A FREE MARKET CAPITALIST SYSTEM. THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS ACCEPTED AND THAT CHINA WOULD SEEK TO WORK OUT ARRANGEMENTS WHICH WOULD ALLOW AN ADMINISTRATION, A SEPARATE ADMINISTRATION AND, I RECALL I BELIEVE, AN AUTONÓMOUS OR ONE WITH AUTONOMY WHICH WASN'T SPECIFIED, TO FUNCTION HERE. CHINA WOULD REGARD ITS FAILURE TO MANAGE A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION AS A VERY SERIOUS SETBACK TO ITS OWN SELF INTEREST. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.

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