[Crown Colony. It is a speculators' paradise and…]

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Crown Colony. It is a speculators' paradise and an oft-cited model of free enterprise capitalism.

Britain has been in control since the 19th century, when it imposed unequal treaties on China giving Britain Hong Kong island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the hinterland known as the New Territories. These territories make up the Crown Colony today.

The People's Republic of China has never accepted the unequal treaties and has consistently claimed that Hong Kong is Chinese territory, to be reclaimed "when the time is ripe", though no attempt has ever been made to take back Hong Kong.

Peking and London have both benefited economically from the prosperous colony. It has been Stalinist China's main economic gateway to the world, and today as much as one third of China's overseas earnings come through Hong Kong.

Now, when the "lease" on the New Territories (without which Hong Kong is probably unviable) has less than 15 years to run, a new arrangement has to be worked out for this "Borrowed place living on borrowed time"

The first round of talks was a Thatcherite blunder. Fresh from her victory over Argentina, she took the bluntest possible political stance when she visited Hong Kong and Peking for talks.

Her attitude drove the Hong Kong stock market plummeting and caused such offence that Deng responded with a sharp, uncompromising statement on China's sovereignty over Hong Kong..

Thatcher has now been persuaded that China is not Argentina by the British Foreign Office mandarins and the powerful capitalist class in Hong Kong. The British attitude now is to agree to leave the question of sovereignty aside, and negotiate for a British administrative please invite us.

Nottingham NG7 2DS or ¡phone. Martin on 01-263 9484. presence after 1997.

In order to understand the background to China's proposals we must look briefly at the changes within Stalinist China in the last few years. Its dependence on the capitalist world market has grown massively.

Government agricultural policy in China today - dismantling the Communes set up during the Maoist era, encouraging family farming on private plots - is rapidly creating a layer of rich peasants, like the kulaks in Russia during the late 1920s.

On the industrial front, the shift away from heavy industry into light manufacture, the introduction of material incentives, the attempts to increase the range of consumer goods, and the partial decentralisation of control over foreign trade contrast sharply with the Maoist policies of emphasising heavy industry, voluntarism and austerity, and minimal import of foreign technology.

Most importantly, theré has been a massive encouragement for overseas capitalists to invest in Chinese industry; with the creation of Special Economic AS THE Thatcher government and the Chinese bureaucracy discuss the future of Hong Kong over the heads of the people of this British colony, socialists in Hong Kong have come out with their own demands on this question.

The statement we print here is translated from 'Combat Bulletin' , paper of the Revolutionary Marxist League. 'October Review' , the other Trotskyist publication in Hong Kong, has come out with a similar line.

They oppose continued British colonial rule; they also oppose imposition of the rule of the Chinese bureaucracy. They call for an elected sovereign assembly for Hong Kong; for truly democratic self-rule'; for a "joint effort' of the Hong Kong workers 'with the labouring masses of China to strike for the status of real masters of the country' ', and thus for Hong Kong to be 'incorporated into workers' China' with the overthrow of the bureaucratic dictatorship. 1. Hong Kong is a part of China's territory. The British in Hong Kong should unconditionally withdraw from China's soil. 2. Sir Edward Youde (the British-appointed Governor of HK - translator's note) tion.

2) The SAR formula is to apply with Hong Kong but with the retention of the present capitalist structure. 'One nation, two systems"

3) "Let Hong Kong people run Hong Kong"

4) "Maintain prosperity and stability"

In the second round of talks the central disagreement was over Britain's insistence of retaining an administrative role after 1997. This proved to be a major obstacle, and the second round came to an abrupt end after four sessions. The fact that the finai communique did not have the words "useful and constructive" sent the stock exchange tumbling yet again.

'The fundamental situation however is that British imperialism has the upper hand.

Peking has depended heavily on Hong Kong to earn its foreign exchange over the past three decades and will continue to do sO.

The disastrous Maoist policies beginning with the Great Leap Forward in 1958 have long ago destroyed any belief Hong Kong people may have had that Stalinist China is socialist or even that life is better there.

The flight of refugees, the naked corruption (though it is no worse than in Hong Kong), and the real economic hardship of relatives on the mainland have disillusioned most Hong Kong workers with Communist China. 'has no right whatsoever to represent the Hong Kong people in the present talks with the Chinese Government. His claim has no reasoned. nor legal basis. 3. The people of Hong Kong should seize control of thetr own destiny. They should overthrow colonial rule, and strive for democratic self-rule of Hong Kong by its own people.

4. The Hong Kong masses must organise quickly to fight for working people's rights, benefits and living standards in the drea of social and economic policy; on the political front they need to raise the demand for democratic rights, and fight for an all-powerful elected local assembly representing all Hong Kong citizens. 5. The local assembly should be Hong Kong's highest authoritative body - it will give birth to a people's government which will implement political, economic and social changes in favour of the working people, as well as determine the relationship with mainland China. 6. As a result of the Chinese Communist Party's bureaucratic misrule, Hong Kong en Peking with the "collapse of confidence" in Hong Kong.

Large overseas capitalist investors will of course be able to pull has been slightly shortened. out, leaving Peking with a broken ricebowl.

They have insisted that a British administration is essen- KUC On September tial to maintaining a capitalist system there after 1977. West Belfast nationalists. After British imperialism is also aware that Peking's strategy of ing on the pro undermining the Kuomintang regime in Taiwan and bringing family was about a peaceful reunification of custody', China depends heavily on the propaganda value of regaining Hong Kong without economic chaos.

The only social force which can transform the situation lies dormant at present — the Hong Kong working class. It has long forgotten its record of struggle in the 1920s at the height of the second Chinese Revolution.

Most workers are not unionised. The trade union movement is split three ways = proPeking, pro-Taiwan (now very small), and an independent 8, even according strand with a large white-collar presence. Peking no longer has the ability, even if it dared, to arouse Hong Kong workers to rise up against colonialism.

That historic task falls on the shoulders of the small Trotskyist cadre in Hong Kong. Their campaign for an all-powerful elected Local. Assembly for Hong Kong should be supported by all socialists and labour activists in Britain.

Fein"

people must struggle. vigorously for democratic self-rule, while initiating and strengthening co-operation otices staffed and with all Chinese people in conquering bureaucratic rule, building a democratic socialBelfast" ist system, & completing the re-unification of China. 7. The Chinese government must abandon the policy of secret diplomatic talks. They The and other shold adopt an open and democratic policy of reporting to the next day, and consulting Hong Kong arrested as people before and during all negotiations. All nego- chief" or even tiated agreements must be subject to receiving Hong RUC to prejudice an Kong people's full ensent before implementation. . The vigorously overport Hong Kong people's struggle for democratic rights and benefits, and defend their living conditions. The Chinese Ireland Dr James government must grant Hong Kong people the greatest to the use of possible right to self-determination - allow Hong Kong people to establish an elected local assembly and a people's government, allowing the policy of democratic self-rule of Hong Kong to be made questionable. a reality.

COMBAT BULLETIN Labour MP Flannery REVOLUTIONARY MARXIST LEAGUE the 10th July 1983. A MASSIVE psychological Meanwhile, it was announced operation was launched by the on friday September 9, that four British barristers were to come after the dawn arrests of 15 to Belfast to investigate, the RUC's use of alleged accomwere act- plices' evidence, the tactics of protective custody' for their Lean, whose relatives, and other matters linked to the show trials:

Protests by local solicitors have been so scarce in the last 14 years that it is worth noting the • unattributed quotes which freouen. found their way into the columns of some newspapers, where blocks rose with Brits lawyers were reported as being "worried" at what they see as a to create the "purely political exercise" , and concerned that there is automatic "presumption of guilt" week, the for those accused by hired perjurers (irish limes, SeptemOICON number of ber 10). In the Sunday Times, 00 - SDIP member and Belfast solicitor Paschal O'Hare even described the show trials as "a certain the farce"

As 16 people were charged solely on the word of Robert Lean, seven of them on Saturday 10 September and the other nine on Monday September 12, solicitors for the accused 60 names and denounced the RUC leaks, and alleged of two of the what amounted to a 'trial by the media'. been "Lean is cast as a top member of an illegal organisation"' that Lean help them to solicitor Pat Finucane declared, ''wreck Sinn explainin* the RUC strategy "as a sort of master-spy, accordweek, the ing to the latest reports. Therefore he is in a position to know UVeI print and accurate and reliable informabroadcast the 'hot gossip' tion, therefore his allegations are correct, therefore these ing themselves willing accom- people must be guilty."

After the trial involving UVF While: all Sint Fein's informer Joseph Bennett, OUP and DUP politicians, under pressure from local loyalist reporting allegations of organisations, had 'unanimously' decried the use of hired perjurers. However, atter last week's arrests, Official Unionist porter leader James Molyneaux could no longer contain himself, and announced on Monday that he had changed his mind and now approved of the RUC tactics. the "IRA's DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson was quick to attack his rival, and the next day called him "a „fool" and "naive" while making a bid for the support of Belfast loyalists by However, the questioning the use of perjurers.

Meanwhile, British directruler James Prior played a The perfect Pontius Pilate to the Bishop assembled press on Monday, declaring that the use of informers" was a matter entirely for the courts, and that he was "distancing myself from " in a He was later slammed by West Belfast MP Gerry Adams, "bringing who said: "Mr Prior supports a , while corrupt process where the "morally witness is offered immunity, given inducements, and coachAt the British ing in what to say in court. The law courts in Belfast are about as independent of James Prior as the show trials in Russia were of Stalin."

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Socialist Organiser no:147 September 22 1983 Page ternational news Fascist victory in local election WARNING TO FRENCH LEFT In RACISM is on the rise in France. Fascists, have reaped where the leaders of the Socialist Party and Communist Party have sown.

by Martin then agreed on a joint slate the run-off. ment has changed its tune. More staff will be employed to chase "illegal' immigrants, they will be deported faster, and they will lose their right to the fascists, who promise real action against this problem'?

The Dreux result confirms a pattern of rising support for the fascists. In March this year, :1480 Cuban troops in Angola

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