TNAG-2169-FCO40-3106-House-of-Commons-Foreign-Affairs-Committee-inquiry-into-Hong-1990 — Page 60

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

believe the prospects for the eventuality you refer to will dwindle.

カカ

76.

Mr Rowlands

The abiding impression left with me in Hong Kong was that, as

much as anything we can do by way of Basic Law or Bills of Rights, it is

the behaviour and attitude of the Chinese Government to its own people that

will or will not underpin or destroy the confidence Hong Kong will have in

1997 and afterwards. Are you going to be able to get that message across

loud and clear to the Chinese authorities?

(Mr Maude) I think it is a fact which is certainly understood by them

and certainly a point which I shall make to them.

77.

You accept that one of the most fundamental confidence-

building measures there can be is that there is no repetition of Tiananmen

Square.

(Mr Maude) It is certainly a very important factor, there is no

question about it. You only need to look at the effect of Tiananmen Square

a matter of historical

not by any means terminal.

Hong Kong is

on confidence in Hong Kong last summer to know as

fact that it was catastrophic

very vibrant, very adaptable, very quick to bounce back and it has done so.

But you only need to look at that effect to know one of the things that

obviously China can do which will be good for confidence is not to have

anything like that happen again.

78.

Chairman

Minister, a final question: if, as we all hope, Hong Kong

prospers it will be the pivot of one of the most dynamic areas on earth.

Indeed, the fact that the Japanese are piling in their investment would

indicate that they see their objective as Hong Kong as their route into

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