Hong Kong (Hansard, 18 February 1987)

§ 2. Mr. Sims
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the new Governor of Hong Kong to take up his post.

§ The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Sir Geoffrey Howe)
Sir David Wilson will take up his duties as Governor of Hong Kong on 9 April.

§ Mr. Sims
Will my right hon. and learned Friend assure Sir David that when he takes up his duties he will carry with him the good wishes of the many hon. Members who are friends of Hong Kong, particularly at this difficult stage in Hong Kong's history? Will my right hon. and learned Friend also consider easing Sir David's path as he takes up his duties by taking an international initiative to ease the problem of Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong, a problem that has existed for many years and is imposing upon the people of Hong Kong a burden of £10 million per year, not to mention the human suffering and misery involved?

§ Sir Geoffrey Howe
I shall be glad to convey to Sir David Wilson the good wishes and support of the whole House as he embarks upon his difficult task. I know that he, together with Her Majesty's Government, will consider the particular problem of the refugee camps that has been raised by my hon. Friend. It is right to say that this longstanding problem, which has given rise to a great deal of difficulty and personal hardship, has been getting better over the years. Even last year, the numbers in the camps dropped by about 1,400 to a figure just in excess of 8,000 — itself much lower than the 12,000 some four years earlier. Nevertheless, we are actively considering what more might be done to help in that respect, and it is certainly a matter that can benefit from international consideration.

§ Mr. Faulds
Does the right hon. and learned Gentleman accept that all parties in the House wish Sir David all the very best in his new job, realising that he is just one of a distinguished line of recent governors? Will the right hon. and learned Gentleman please take very carefully to heart the fact that Britain is in duty and in honour bound to do considerably more than she has been doing to help relieve the difficult and intractable problem of the suffering of the Vietnamese refugees in Hong Kong?

§ Sir Geoffrey Howe
I welcome what the hon. Gentleman said in the first half of his question, and I take note of the emphasis that he places on the importance of addressing ourselves to the problem under discussion.

§ Sir Peter Blaker
Will my right hon. and learned Friend confirm that, despite recent political changes in China, the policy of the Government of China towards Hong Kong remains the same as it has been—that is, the policy set out in the joint declaration and agreement of two years ago? Will he confirm that he expects that situation to continue and that there is therefore every ground for continued optimism about the future of Hong Kong?

§ Sir Geoffrey Howe
I am glad to be able to respond to my right hon. Friend in the way that he would hope. I think that the whole House will have welcomed the statement of the Chinese Prime Minister, Mr. Zhao Ziyang, that China's internal and external policies will not be affected by recent events. In particular, a number of Chinese Government spokesmen have emphasised that China's policies towards Hong Kong will not be affected.

§ Mr. Anderson
Sir David will know that he carries with him the good wishes of the whole House. On the question of direct elections, will the Foreign Secretary state what construction he places on the warnings, both by senior officials and in magazines, that direct elections, if implemented, might be halted after 1997? Will he reassure the people of Hong Kong that if the internal consultation process in Hong Kong this year shows a clear majority in favour of an element of direct elections it will indeed come about? Will he also make it crystal clear to Beijing that although we shall, of course, work very closely with the Chinese Government, we in Britain remain in effective control of the territory until 1997?

§ Sir Geoffrey Howe
I understand, of course, the importance that the whole House and, indeed, the Government of the People's Republic of China attach to the maintenance of Britain's responsibility for administration until 1997. As the hon. Gentleman knows, direct elections are one of the issues being considered in the review by the Hong Kong Government of the further development of representative government. It would not be right for me to try to anticipate the outcome. It is a genuine and objective review, in which the views of the Hong Kong people will be taken fully into account. I am equally confident, in this as in other respects, that it is possible for the British and Chinese Governments to take full account of each other's concerns as well as those of the people of Hong Kong.