CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2924
OF 181135Z DECEMBER 92
CONFIDENTIAL
175574 MDHIAN 3040
TOP COPY Q DIST ?/
pa
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, SINGAPORE, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
6
MY TELNO 2915: LEE KUAN YEW'S VIEWS ON HONG KONG AND CHINA
1. WE WERE TREATED TO A FURTHER TV INTERVIEW BY LEE KUAN YEW LAST NIGHT, RECORDED BEFORE HE LEFT HONG KONG ON 16 DECEMBER. HE REPEATED THE THEMES DESCRIBED IN TUR (LARGE AMERICAN PLOT TO DEMOCRATISE CHINA), AND FOCUSED ON CHINESE FEARS OF DEMOCRACY. AS HE PUT IT, THE CHINESE HAVE NO TRADITION OF COUNTING HEADS, ONLY A TRADITION OF CUTTING OFF HEADS. HE GAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT HE FOUND IT INCONCEIVABLE THAT MY PROPOSALS COULD HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD ON THEIR MERITS, AND IN A DOMESTIC HONG KONG CONTEXT.
2. I SEE LITTLE POINT IN SPECULATING ON LEE'S MOTIVES, THOUGH A STREAK OF ENVY OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE, PARTICULARLY IN CHINA, CANNOT BE DISCOUNTED. HOWEVER, I THINK IT WOULD BE RIGHT FOR MR GOODLAD TO CALL IN THE SINGAPOREAN HIGH COMMISSIONER TO COMPLAIN. THE DAMAGE LEE HAS DONE IS CONSIDERABLE.
3. MR GOODLAD COULD MAKE THE FOLLOWING POINTS:
NOT HELPFUL OF MR LEE TO MAKE SUCH COMMENTS IN HONG KONG AT A TIME OF GREAT POLITICAL SENSITIVITY.
GRAND CONSPIRACY THEORY ITSELF ABSURD. IF OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WAS STIRRING UP TROUBLE WE WOULD NOT HAVE GONE TO SUCH LENGTHS TO DEVISE PROPOSALS THAT 'SLIPPED INTO THE OPEN SPACES IN THE BASIC LAW AND JOINT DECLARATION' (QUOTATION FROM MR LEE LAST OCTOBER).
་
WHO IN WASHINGTON DOES MR LEE THINK WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS STRATEGY? MR BUSH (WHO IS FAMOUS FOR CONCILIATING NOT CONFRONTING CHINA) OR MR CLINTON, (WHO WAS NOT EVEN THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE WHEN THE THEORY, ACCORDING TO MR LEE, WAS HATCHED)? WASHINGTON HAD NO HAND IN MY PROPOSALS.
ALSO, WRONG TO SAY THAT THE PROPOSALS WERE WORKED OUT IN LONDON: THEY WERE DRAWN UP BY THE GOVERNOR IN HONG KONG FOLLOWING A PERIOD OF WIDE CONSULTATION WITH VARIOUS GROUPS (NEXT WORD
1
PAGE CONFIDENTIAL
HKD 021/9
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.