Next A
27/7
LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS'S MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG:
2 DECEMBER 1975
BRIEF NO. 6
MIE FUTURE OF HONG KONG
14
Line to Take
1.
In discussion of this subject, the Minister might like to make the following points:
(b)
(a) While, clearly, there is little point in considering the
future of Hong Kong until the successor régime to Mao and Chou emerges in China, it cannot be put off indefinitely. Our present thinking is that we shall probably need to approach the Chinese in the early 1980s and to discuss the problem very confidentially with them. We do not under-estimate the difficulties involved. The Chinese may be very unwilling to commit themselves to any particular course of policy. We shall have to try to persuade them that unless there is some agreed policy, preferably publicly stated, the investment climate in Hong Kong will become progressively less favourable as 1997 approaches. This would increase our problems and, we suspect, theirs.
(c) We have been considering the matter and there is a draft
outline paper on which we would welcome the Governor's views. Perhaps he could take time during the week to read it. HM Ambassador Peking saw it in draft and we were grateful that he drew attention to the cardinal importance of not engaging the Chinese in any discussion of the internal affairs of Hong Kong or suggesting their cooperation in its administration before we had decided that it was in our best interests to hand back the Colony. Otherwise we would be losing strategic control of the problem.
!IL4}YTT
/(a)