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CHINESE STATEMENTS ON HONG KONG
1963: An authoritative People's Daily article responded to criticism by the United States Communist Party of China's attitude to Hong Kong. The article described the questions of Hong Kong and Macao as "relating to the category of unequal treaties left over by history". It added that such issues should be settled through negotiations when conditions are ripe and that pending a settlement the status quo should be maintained".
1964: A Chinese delegation to a "World Youth Forum" held in Moscow protested at a resolution calling for independence for Hong Kong and Macao among various "colonial territories". The Chinese delegation main- tained that Hong Kong and Macao "are Chinese territory occupied by British and Portuguese imperialism on the strength of unequal treaties" and that "the Chinese people will recover them without fail at an appropriate time".
1967: In the course of a speech on 24 June the then Prime Minister Zhou Enlai, criticised British actions in curbing left-wing agitation in Hong Kong inspired by the Cultural Revolution in China. Zhou said: "Hong Kong and Kowloon have always been China's territory. The destiny of Hong Kong will be decided by our patriotic compatriots in Hong Kong and the 700 million Chinese people and definitely not by a handful of British imperialists".
1971: In a conversation with Mr Malcolm MacDonald in October 1971, Zhou Enlai speculated that the British Government's contention that the status of Taiwan was undetermined might reflect a fear that acknowledgment of Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan could have an effect on the standing of Hong Kong. Zhou said there was no parallel between Taiwan and Hong Kong; China had no intention of seeking to get Hong Kong back until the expiry of the New Territories lease.
1972: In a letter to the UN Committee on Decolonization, on 8 March 1972, the Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN argued that Hong Kong and Macao should not come within the scope of the Committee's work. He said: "Hong Kong and Macao are part of Chinese territory occupied by the British and Portuguese authorities. The settlement of the questions of Hong Kong and Macao is entirely within China's sovereign right and does not at all fall under the ordinary category of 'colonial territories' ... the issues of Hong Kong and Macao should be settled in an appropriate way when conditions are ripe"
In November 1972 Zhou Enlai told Sir Alec Douglas-Home, then Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, that the question of Hong Kong would be settled by negotiations and China would take no "surprise action" with respect to Hong Kong.
1975: The Chinese delegate to a meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organisation Middle East and South East Asia Communications and Meteorology Regional Planning Group in May 1975 read out a statement that "the People's Republic of China consider that Hong Kong is part of China and reserve the right to speak for Hong Kong in future on these matters" As far as has been, traced this is the only occasion in an international forum when China has claimed the right to speak for Hong Kong private conversation with some Hong Kong Chinese businessmen, a New China News Agency official made reassuring comments on the safety of investments
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