TNAG-1263-FCO40-1606-Parliamentary-contacts-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 143

But would it be sensible to hammer home too heavily China's

dependency on the Colony assuming that our purpose is to

prevent rather than to provoke precipitate decisions in

Peking?

-

We hear a lot about the interests of the Chinese and of the

people of Hong Kong. It is surely permissible to interject

our own. The Chinese will not, I hope, make the mistake

of supposing that Hong Kong is a major source of wealth

for Britain. The balance of advantage is probably in our

favour, but itis not overwhelming. (A sensible settlement

could, of course, leave us with most of our commercial

interests intact.) Nor, I assume, do we wish to continue

to run Hong Kong to perpetuate imperial glory, though our

pride in its success is well justified. (I seem to recall

that the Russians once censured a favourable mention of

Hong Kong from Chekhov's works.)

strategic advantages are limited.

And, given its circumstances,

Our chief concern is

thus mainly moral: to do the best we can for Hong Kong

itself.

3.