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Miss Deas
I said in a separate note I have sent you about the
Conservative Hong Kong Policy Committee that I would be sending
you a separate minute about the Committee's recommendation on
the lease and future of Hong Kong. This is that separate note.
2. We shall "dust off" the review by officials in 1968 on
the future of Hong Kong and let Mr. Royle see our revised version.
The original document was only circulated to a very limited circle
in Whitehall and is only held by the Governor in Hong Kong itself.
The conclusions point to:
3.
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кадри It i
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A.R.
(i)
(ii)
overtalen
4.
Our probable ability to hold the present situation
until the latter part of the 70s.
The ultimate object of the policy should be to watch
for opportunities to negotiate a withdrawal from
Hong Kong in circumstances which would preserve our
honour and responsibilities to those who live there.
It was felt that this would be a better solution in
the British interest than a re-negotiation of the
lease itself because (a) there was no prospect of re-
negotiating the lease with any Communist Government
in China and (b) any successor Government in China,
which might be prepared to re-negotiate the lease,
was likely to be of such a kind that we could feel
satisfied that we could honourably hand over our
responsibilities to it.
It will be seen that the report is a pretty hypothetical
We are keeping it under annual review.
document.
c.c. Mr. Wilford.
WBW7 ma
(L. Monson) 10 July, 1970
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