CONFIDENTIAL
036135 MDHIAN 0130 、
6. THE REFERENCE TO THE AIRPORT, AT THE END OF THE SAME PARAGRAPH, MIGHT ALSO BE CONSIDERABLY MORE POSITIVE. IT COULD REFER TO THE CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF HONG KONG'S DRAMATIC AND DYNAMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS SO IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS TO ALL VISITORS, AND THE DESIRE OF HONG KONG TO HAVE FACILITIES RANKING WITH THE VERY BEST IN THE WORLD AND TO THIS END LOOKING FOR AN AIRPORT WHICH IS DRAMATIC IN ITS CONCEPT AND WHICH SHOULD NOW BE DEVELOPED AT A SPEED RARELY SEEN ANYWHERE, TO KEEP TO ITS AMBITIOUS TIMETABLE. ALSO THAT THE AIRPORT WILL RANK ALONG WITH
HONG KONG'S PORT FACILITIES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES WITH THE VERY BEST IN THE WORLD, ENABLING IT TO HOLD ITS PLACE AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MAJOR REGIONAL HUBS.
7. PARAGRAPH 5. I SUGGEST DELETING THESE REFERENCES TO ORGANISED CRIME. AS THE TEXT ACKNOWLEDGES, ON ANY WORLD SCALE CRIME IN HONG KONG IS STILL AT A VERY LOW LEVEL. FOR THE PRIME MINISTER TO DEVOTE ONE OUT OF SEVEN PARAGRAPHS TO THE ISSUE, WHILE NO DOUBT SHOWING SYMPATHY AND CONCERN, OVER STATES THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM, AND SUGGESTS THAT IT IS A PROBLEM VISIBLE FROM AS FAR AWAY AS THE UK, WHICH MUST SURELY BE DOUBTFUL. I SUGGEST INSTEAD A PARAGRAPH REFERRING TO HONG KONG'S VIGOROUS BUSINESS GROWTH, ITS POSITION IN THE WORLD LEAGUE TABLES OF TRADING NATIONS, A WHOLLY POSITIVE REFERENCE TO BRITAIN'S VERY VALUABLE TRADE WITH HONG KONG (AND NOT FORGETTING THE VERY SIZEABLE MARKET THAT THE UK PROVIDES FOR HONG KONG), THE CLEARLY VISIBLE DEVELOPMENTS WHICH STRIKE ANY VISITOR (WHICH COULD ALLOW THE PRIME MINISTER TO MAKE A LIGHT-HEARTED REFERENCE TO THE STANDARD CHARTERED BANK BUILDING WHICH IS ONE OF HONG KONG'S NEWEST, AS THE BANK FOR WHICH HE ONCE WORKED), THE RECOGNITION THAT THE BUSINESS OF HONG KONG IS BUSINESS, AND A RECOGNITION THAT FROM THE DAYS WHEN JARDINES AND SWIRES AND THE FOUNDERS OF THE HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANK SET UP THEIR BUSINESSES, TO THE MODERN TIMES WHEN EG NEARLY ALL THE MAJOR CITY LAW FIRMS HAVE RECENTLY SET UP BRANCHES IN HONG KONG, BRITAIN HAS PLAYED A LEADING ROLE IN PARTICIPATING HONG KONG'S DRAMATIC GROWTH AND PROSPERITY AND THAT THIS CONFIDENCE FROM THE UK'S PRIVATE SECTOR, NO LESS THAN THAT OF HMG, IS LIKELY TO REMAIN FAR INTO THE FUTURE. IN SHORT SUCH A PARAGRAPH COULD STRESS BRITAIN'S CONFIDENCE AND BRITAIN'S STRONG ANTICIPATED FUTURE ROLE, WHILE BRINGING OUT THE CONTRIBUTION BRITAIN HAS MADE IN THE PAST.
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