TNAG-1847-FCO40-2622-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 56

MADABO

FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG AND PEKING

Background

References

A :

B :

Hong Kong telnos 1274 and 1279 reporting the FAC's visit to

Hong Kong.

Mr Holloway's teleletter of 24 April reporting the Committee's

dinner with the Senior British Trade Commissioner.

c :

Peking telnos 695 and 697-702, reporting the FAC's visit to

Peking.

D : Miss Bailes' teleletter of 26 April, giving the Embassy's

impression of the FAC's visit.

E : Daily Telegraph article of 25 April.

General impressions

1. The Foreign Affairs Committee's recent visits to Hong Kong (17-22 April) and Peking (22-25 April) have been fully reported by

the posts concerned.

2. The Committee were predictably surprised by the strength of feeling in Hong Kong on the nationality issue and the problem of Vietnamese boat people and were struck by the degree of bitterness

towards the UK expressed to them on both subjects: On nationality, in particular, the Committee faced a number of emotional appeals by Hong Kong witnesses, including Lydia Dunn who described HMG's position on right of abode for Hong Kong Chinese as "morally

indefensible". The Committee were also struck by the general lack of interest in the Basic Law, outside the English-speaking elite who gave formal evidence.

3.

In Peking, the Committee appear to have come away with generally