RESTRICTED
Mr Webb, Far Eastern Section, Research Department
RESEARCH MEMORANDUM:
1.
CHINA'S ATTITUDES TOWARDS HONG KONG
Thank you for letting me see the draft of the first two sections of your paper. It general it strikes me as a clear and well-
written account which should prove very useful. I should prefer not to offer detailed comments at this stage, but would like to see the next draft, after contributions have been received from posts and other departments.
2. For the immediate future, it would be very helpful if you could abstract the more authoritative post-1949 Chinese statements on the status of Hong Kong from the body of the paper and provide me with a separate note which I could include with the briefs for I have in the Secretary of State's forthcoming visit to China. mind Ministerial statements (public and in conversation with British Ministers), authoritative articles in the People's Daily, etc, the Chinese statement at the UN, and a selection of the more authoritative recent statements.
3. As regards priorities for Section III, the most immediately useful area might be:(a).- questions concerning the lease of the New Territories. But perhaps you could let me know what you have in mind. Thereafter it would be useful to have (d), (h) and (c) fairly soon.
23 March 1979
RESTRICTED
R JT McLaren
Hong Kong and General Department
ARK Ovol.
2 6 MAR 1979
INDEX
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