IMMEDIATE
COVER CAT A 6/5250
AM FCO 061651Z
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
AKK 2011..
APR 1973
30
TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG (PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM CORTAZZI
HONG KONG RELATIONS WITH CHINA,
OF APRIL
1. WHEN I MET JOHN KESWICK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK HE TOLD
NE THAT KADOORIE WHO WOULD BE VISITING PEKING ON HIS WAY BACK
FROM LONDON WAS IN FAVOUR OF PROMOTING DISCUSSION WITH THE CHINESE
ABOUT HONK KONG'S LONG-TERM FUTURE. JOHN KESWICK SAID AND I AGREED
THAT OUR RELATIONS WITH THE CHINESE ON THIS ISSUE COULD BE SERIOUSLY COMPLICATED AND PREJUDICED IF KADOORIE MADE UNAUTHORISED
PROPOSALS.
2. 1 HAVE DISCUSSED THIS WITH DENYS BRAY WHO HAS SHOWN ME A LETTER WHICH KADOORIE WROTE TO HIS BROTHER JEREMY ON 22 MARCH. IN THIS
LETTER KADOORIE SAYS QUOTE
THE TIME HAS COME FOR SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO BE GIVEN TO HONG KONG'S FUTURE AS A FREE ZONE OF CHINA UNDER BRITISH MANAGEMENT AND ALL THOSE WHO HAVE OUR INTEREST AT HEART SHOULD ENDEAVOUR TO CREATE A MUTUALITY OF INTERESTS THUS PROVIDING A SMOOTH
TRANSITION INTO THE WORLD OF 2000. UNQUOTE
3. BRAY WILL BE LUNCHING WITH KADOORIE ON 14 APRIL AND COULD SOUND A NOTE OF WARNING IF YOU THOUGHT THIS DESIRABLE. ALTERNATIVELY, I COULD PERHAPS CALL ON KADOORIE DURING HIS STAY IN LONDON OR WE COULD ASK LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS, TO SPEAK TO HIM, YOU MAY HOWEVER THINK THAT THERE ARE BETTER WAYS OF DEALING WITH
THIS. BRAY DID NOT INDEED KNOW WHETHER KADOORIE HAD YET LEFT HONG KONG IF HE HAS NOT YOU MIGHT PREFER TO HAVE A WORD WITH HIM YOURSELF.
4. GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VIEWS ON HOW THIS SHOULD BEST BE HANDLED,
OVEN
FILES
HKFGD (5)
FE.D.
PS/LORD GURONWY RUBERTS.
MR CORTAZZ
MR MURRAY MR POSNETT
CONFIDENTIAL