TNAG-1885-FCO40-2676-Overseas-visits-by-Sir-David-Wilson--Governor-of-Hong-Kong---1989 — Page 24

CONFIDENTIAL

DSR 11 (Revised Sept 85)

DRAFT: minute/letter/teleletter/despatch/note

FROM:

TYPE: Draft/Final 1 +

Reference

ME2AWW

DEPARTMENT:

BUILDING:

TEL. NO:

Your Reference

ROOM NO:

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

TO:

Top Secret

Secret

Confidential

Restricted

Unclassified

PRIVACY MARKING

CAVEAT

SUBJECT:

In Confidence

HONG KONG

Copies to:

1.

Hong Kong is by any measure Britain's most important

remaining colonial responsibility. Britain's economic

stake in the territory is substantial. Our political

stake in Hong Kong's future is less tangible but equally

substantial. For under the terms of the Joint

Declaration we and the Chinese Government are committed

to the preservation of Hong Kong's economic system and

way of life after 1 July 1997, when Hong Kong becomes a

Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of

China. We will be judged by the extent to which we

succeed in turning that commitment into reality.

Enclosures flag(s)

2. The key to Hong Kong's future prosperity does not

lie entirely in our hands. Much depends on the

behaviour of the Chinese Government and on the way in