mistakes in the history of the British bourgeoisie?""
16
2) Deng Xiaoping, who was born in 1904 and who lived in
France from December 1920 to August 1926 where he became a
Communist, belonged to that generation of Chinese who witnessed
the imperial strength of the British and whose experience of the
miseries of capitalist France would not have indicated that the
rulers of capitalist Europe were inculcated with a sense of
benevolence at home or with altruism in their treatment of Asians
under their colonial rule. Not surprisingly, Deng has refused to
accept that the British government is genuinely concerned for the
welfare of the people of Hong Kong and that its main interest is
in leaving the territory in good order with its people able to
exercise autonomy so that the last major act of decolonisation
can be carried out with honour and dignity.
In his meeting with Mrs. Thatcher in 1982 Deng Xiaoping
claimed that there was a provision in the Hong Kong budget for
transferring surplus capital directly to the British treasury.
Although he was promptly disabused of that false information by
the late Sir Edward Youde there is every sign that he and the
other senior Chinese leaders believe that the main British
interest in Hong Kong is to extract large sums of money." Sir
Percy Cradock, who until his retirement in June 1992 was
The Selected Works of Mao Tsetung, Vol. V, (Beijing, Foreign Languages Press, 1977) p.361
5
Deng's claim has been independently confirmed to me by more than one British official who was present on the occasion.
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Private notes are available after approval.