TNAG-2717-FCO40-3923-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 18

indeed wished he would do more.

Now we have a trust for these people. We are handing them over to the people who perpetrated Tiananmen Square, and do you not feel, despite all you have said, that their views should be heard and we should actually be negotiating with those

instructions from that client?

Sir Percy Cradock: No, Mr Sumberg, I do not feel that exactly, and my remarks earlier will I think explain why I take that view. I think, as I said in response to Sir John Stanley, we have to take full account of

account of Hong Kong views, but I would reject the idea that they are the final arbiter in this matter, even if we knew what they were, Again I went over this ground, that you will get from Hong Kong people if you ask the question 'Do you support the Governor?' of course they will say they support the Governor. If you ask them 'Do you support democracy?' of course they will say they support democracy. But that is not the issue we are confronted with. It is not democracy in an easy vacuum; it is democracy in the teeth of violent Chinese opposition, with the virtual certainty that it will be undone if you try it, and Hong Kong will be harmed.

I entirely take your point that we are in a position of trust to Hong Kong, and it is because of that I have tried to set out my fears that the policy we are embarked on will do more harm to these people than good. We will harm them in democracy, in the Rule of Law, and in the many other aspects of a free society. That is why I advocate this line, and I would ask the Committee to look at this very carefully.

I am frankly, Mr Chairman, astonished that so far over a year of crisis of Hong Kong, after thousands and tens Of thousands of words have been written on the subject, there has never been an objective analysis of the cost and profit of the courses open to us. It has just not been done. No-one has looked at it and said 'All right, this looks nice now but what is going to be the effect in two or three years' time?'. No-one does that.

way;

The press deals with this matter in an entirely primitive democracy good, Governor good, China bad'. That is

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