GRS 250A

IMMEDIATE

SECRET

66

CYPHER CAT A

FI PEKING 090715Z

SECRET

MRK 2/105/4

164

DESKBY 098938Z

TO IMMEDIATE FCO TELNO 1073 OF 9/12

YOUR TELNO 883: HONG KONG:

1. I HAVE THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS ON THE TEXT PROPOSED

IN YOUR TELEGRAM.

2. |

I RECOMMEND THE OMMISSION OF THE WORDS BUT IT IS

IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHETHER ALL SUCCESSIVE CHINESE

GOVERNMENTS WILL TAKE THE SAME VIEW''. THE LIKELIHOOD

OF ANY CHINESE GOVERNMENT OF WHATEVER COMPLEXION

CHANGING THE VIEW THAT ALL THREE PARTS OF THE

TERRITORY ARE CHINESE SEEMS TO HE INFINITESIMAL.

IF THIS COMMENT WERE TO LEAK IT COULD ALSO BE REGARDED

AS PROVOCATIVE BY THE PRESENT CHINESE GOVERNMENT.

**

3. IT IS NOT ONLY ATTITUDES IN CHINA TOWARDS

HONG KONG WHICH HAS CAUSED DIFFICULTIES IN OUR

RELATIONS WITH PEKING, WE HAVE HAD DIFFICULTIES IN THE PAST OVER A NUMBER OF ISSUES, SOME OF WHICH HAVE THEIR ORIGINS IN HONG KONG, WHERE ACTION HOWEVER LEGITIMATE, HAS CAUSED DIFFICULTIES HERE. I SUGGEST THAT

''

WE SAY SIMPLY SOME HONG KONG ISSUES '' HAVE IN THE

PAST CAUSED DIFFICULTY..

SECRET

/4. WHETHER

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