CONFIDENTIAL
MR ROYLE'S VISIT TO PARIS, 21-23 MARCH 1972
HONG KONG:
1.
POSITION PAPER
The Crown Colony of Hong Kong can have no constitutional
progress towards independence. This is because of the
attitude of the People's Republic of China, which has always
regarded Hong Kong as a part of China to be regained at the
appropriate time. Meanwhile, the Chinese Government has made
it clear on more than one occasion that it expects the
constitutional status quo in the Colony to continue.
2.
The latest indication of this attitude has followed on
China's admission to the United Nations. In a letter dated
8 March 1972, addressed to the Chairman of the United Nations
Special Committee on the granting of independence to Colonial
Territories (the Committee of 24), the Permanent Representative
of China to the United Nations stated:
"As is known to all, the questions of Hong Kong and Macao
belong to the category of questions resulting from the
series of unequal treaties left over by history, treaties
which the imperialists imposed on China. Hong Kong and
Macao are part of Chinese territory occupied by the
British and Portuguese authorities. The settlement of
the questions of Hong Kong and Macao is entirely within
China's sovereign right and does not at all fall under the
ordinary category of 'Colonial Territories'
the
Chinese Government has consistently held that they should
be settled in an appropriate way when conditions are ripe"
CONFIDENTIAL
13.