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Mr Williamson
CONFIDENTIAL
COVERING SECRET
Mr Friar, HKGD
FUTURE OF HONG KONG
NR
With reference to your minute of 14 October, I have made some minor amendments to the draft Cabinet paper.
2. In my view, neither this paper nor the "contingency" paper deals adequately with the problem of changing our laws in advance to make it possible for British administration to continue after 30 June 1997. It cannot be taken for granted that the UK and China will reach an agreement as to its solution, in which case HMG will sooner or later have to consider solving it by unilateral action.
3. As I told Mr Williamson yesterday (before receiving your minute), I have recently been cogitating on possible modalities and am now in the course of preparing a paper on the matter, which I thought I might discuss with him and then with Mr Steel of the Law Officers' Department.
14 October 1981
A.R.R.
A R Rushford Deputy Legal Adviser
ний
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04011
CONFIDENTIAL
W
COVERING SECRET
PGO 6/4
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