Cypher/Cat A
PRIORITY WELLINGTON TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
Tel. No. 448
12 September, 1967
IN CONFIDENCE
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Answer if any by 2100 hours GMT 12 September.
Parliamentary Question on Hong Kong.
Mr. Holyoake is being asked in the House tomorrow (13th) whether there is any legal basis for Communist China's claim to Hong Kong.
2.
Proposed reply given to us for comment by DEA this afternoon is as follows:
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"I think it is important that the position on Hong Kong should be made perfectly clear. The factual situation is that what is mainly referred to as the Crown Colony of Hong Kong is made up of three distinct territories: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon (with Stonecutters Island) and the New Territories. Hong Kong was formally ceded in perpetuity from China to Great Britain under the Treaty of Nanking signed in 1842. The Convention of Peking concluded in 1860 secured the cession in perpetuity of Kowloon. Finally, by a further Convention of Peking done in 1898, the New Territories were leased to Great Britain for a period of 99 years. The British tenure of Hong Kong is accordingly based on the background I have ‘indicated. As to the current problem, I am trusting to my memory, but I do not think the Communist Chinese have, in fact, founded any claims to the Colony on legal grounds, but have phrased them in purely political terms.'
13th.
Grateful for any comment by 9 a.m. New Zealand time tomorrow,
Sir I. Maclennan
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