CONFIDENTIAL
SECRETARY OF STATE'S TOUR OF THE FAR EAST
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1973
Brief No. HK1
BACKGROUND BRIEF
Constitution
1.
Hong Kong is a Crown Colony consisting of:-
(a) Hong Kong Island (29 square miles), ceded by
China to Britain in perpetuity under the
Treaty of Nanking, 1842;
(b)
The Kowloon Peninsula (34 square miles),
together with certain islands, similarly ceded
under the Convention of Peking, 1860;
2.
(c)
The New Territories (370 square miles), leased
by China to Britain in 1898 for 99 years.
The Chinese, however, regard these treaties as unequal
agreements imposed in the 19th century by an imperial government
on a weak and divided China and therefore not necessarily binding
on them. Nevertheless, they have recently indicated to us that,
although they regard Hong Kong as part of China which will revert
to Chinese control in the fullness of time, that time is not yet;
and that the eventual hand-over should be done in a negotiated and
orderly fashion. Meanwhile, Hong Kong in its present form is of
considerable advantage to China, especially as a source of foreign
exchange (see also Brief No HK4).
3.
In accordance with powers conferred by Letters Patent and Royal
/Instructions
1
CONFIDENTIAL