TNAG-2054-FCO40-2932-Political-activism-accusations-of-subversion-in-Hong-Kong-1990 — Page 69

CONFIDENTIAL

25

155430

MDHIAN 2214

fa "subresa

for 27/5

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 1685

OF 27060OZ MAY 90

INFO DESKBY 28010OZ PEKING

INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG

HKB 060/\

-EIVE

.LF

CHINESE COMPLAINT ABOUT SUBVERSION

1. JI SHAOXIANG CALLED ON THE POLITICAL ADVISER ON 27 MAY AND SPOKE

ON INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT AN EXHIBITION BEING HELD BY THE HONG KONG

ALLIANCE IN VICTORIA PARK. TEXT OF HIS SPEAKING NOTE IN MIFT.

2. IN REPLY, EHRMAN EXPRESSED SURPRISE AT THIS DEMARCHE AND THE TERMS IN WHICH IT WAS MADE. TO SAY THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

WAS CONNIVING WITH ANY SUCH ACTIVITIES WAS NONSENSE. HE REMINDED JI THAT PEOPLE IN HONG KONG HAD FREEDOM OF SPEECH WITHIN THE LAW. THE ACTIVITIES JI HAD REFERRED TO, WHICH HAD INCIDENTALLY BEEN ATTENDED BY VERY FEW PEOPLE, WERE BEING HELD IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW AND BEING HANDLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW. JI HAD SAID THAT THESE ACTIVITIES, WHICH HE HIMSELF ADMITTED WERE BEING ORGANISED BY A MERE HANDFUL OF PEOPLE, WERE DETRIMENTAL TO THE STABILITY OF HONG KONG. WE DID NOT ACCEPT THIS. IF INDEED, CONTRARY TO OUR OWN LAW, WE SOUGHT TO SUPPRESS LEGAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, THAT COULD

CERTAINLY LEAD TO INSTABILITY.

3. JI SAID THAT WE CLAIMED THESE ACTIVITIES WERE WITHIN THE LAW. BUT IF SIMILAR ACTIVITIES WERE DIRECTED AGAINST THE BRITISH HEAD OF STATE HE WAS SURE THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD ACT IN A DIFFERENT MANNER. IF ANTI-CHINA ACTIVITIES SPREAD AND BECAME LARGE-SCALE, DISTURBANCES WOULD CERTAINLY HAPPEN. HE EXPECTED THIS MATTER WOULD

BE RAISED WITH THE EMBASSY IN PEKING.

4. EHRMAN REMINDED HIM OF THE LARGE SCALE DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST BRITISH POLICY DURING SIR G HOWE'S VISIT LAST SUMMER. WE MAY NOT HAVE LIKED THEM BUT WE DID NOT STOP PEOPLE LEGALLY EXPRESSING THEIR VIEWS. WE WERE WELL CAPABLE OF MAINTAINING PUBLIC ORDER IN HONG KONG, A MATTER THAT WAS ENTIRELY FOR US UNTIL 1997.

COMMENT

5. ON THE WAY OUT, JI SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN WOKEN EARLY THIS MORNING BY PEKING TO MAKE THIS REPRESENTATION.

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