TNAG-2789-FCO40-4028-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1993 — Page 111

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RELATIONS WITH THE TRADITIONAL CHINESE COMMUNITY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

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In traditional Chinese community. This exercise to determine the medium and Office.

1990 the Office reviewed its liaison work with the was part of a larger long term role of the

The review concluded that the traditional role of the Community Services Division (liaison, welfare and networking with the community) was no longer appropriate because :

(i)

(ii)

this community was now better able to look after itself without guidance from the Office; and there was a higher priority for liaison and networking elsewhere, e.g. at Westminster, in the business community, the media and with other influential individuals and groups.

It was also agreed that other elements within

within the non traditional Chinese community, in particular the emerging professional and business groups, should be targeted as "friends" of Hong Kong and as "Ambassadors" for Hong Kong.

Current Position

As a result of the review, three senior posts in the Community Services Division were deleted, leaving only one Senior Community Services Officer (SCso). Reduction of resources was also reflected in the withdrawal by 1994-95 financial support from the 100 or so Chinese Language Classes.

The Office as a whole has shifted its emphasis of liaison work away from the traditional community though the SCSO retains contact as far as his time allows. More recently the SCSO and the Student Adviser

Adviser have been devoting their attention to cultivating contacts with Hong Kong professionals and businessmen/executives in the UK.

Specifically the Office encouraged the establishment of the Hong Kong Executives Club, the Hong Kong Professional and Postgraduate Society and the Hong Kong University Alumni Association. The SCSO has also encouraged the establishment of a Chinese Language Materials Editorial Forum to develop its own textbooks for the teaching of Chinese in the UK when Hong Kong assistance is totally withdrawn.

The traditional Chinese community has in recent years tended to shift its allegiance away from this Office towards the Chinese Embassy. It is likely that this shift would have occurred even if the office had maintained its pre 1990 levels of contact with this element in the community. The shift has resulted primarily because major elements within the community see its economic future as trading (importing) with China and this developing activity requires close contact with the commercial staff of the Chinese Embassy.

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