ATTORNEY-GENERAL
100
SECRET
HONG KONG LEASES
You will remember that you advised about a year ago on the
problem of how to assure investors and other businessmen in
Hong Kong that they can safely take leases of land in the New
Territories without fear that they will necessarily and auto-
matically lapse when HMG's own "lease" of the New Territories runs
out in 1997. I have been asked to attend a meeting next Friday
(1 August) with the Attorney-General of Hong Kong, Mr. Griffiths,
to discuss some further ideas which he has put forward on that.
problem.
I am not clear
It is likely that, after next Friday's meeting, the FCO will
want to put some proposals to you for you approval and they may
well ask for the matter to be dealt with urgently.
that there is in fact any intrinsic urgency, but I deduce from the
papers that the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary is due to visit
Peking in the near future and that, while he is unlikely to want
to go into this matter with the Chinese in any detail, it is thought
desirable that his briefing for the visit should be based on a clear
idea of the possibilities open to us. Since, as I say, there is
likely to be an explicit request for your advice after next Friday's
meeting, I do not see that you need definitively commit yourself to
SECRET