CODE 18-77
SS 8/78
Reference
Mr Clift
Ec: Mr Freeland
Mr Donald
Mr Hoare
COVERING SECRET
M. Hoare
PA
Гх ороди
ник очок
A
1 SEPD62
HONG KONG STUDY
1. You gave me a copy of your minute of 1 September to Mr Hoare, containing some comments from the Governor.
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2. As regards his comment on Annex H, I see no incompatibility between paragraph 11 and 14. So long as HMG had authority to conduct international relations in respect of Hong Kong without interference from the PRC, that would be an effective inter- national responsibility.
3. My earlier draft of this Annex included the following sentence in paragraph 7:
4.
"This would need to be an exclusive authority, since it
would be impracticable for it to be exercised either jointly or concurrently by the UK and the PRC."
I think the Annex will do as it stands but the sentence quoted above, which was afterwards deleted, underlines the need for HMG to have a free hand if their responsibility for con- ducting external relations is to be an effective one.
5. As regards the Governor's point on Annex K, my point was simply that giving the inhabitants of Hong Kong a local citizen- ship would make the position of the UK easier when it eventually withdrew from Hong Kong, since they would not have any claim on the UK based upon their possession of a citizenship under the British Nationality Act 1981. It follows that HMG would have not to enact deprivation legislation that could be controversial.
A.R.R.
A R Rushford
Deputy Legal Adviser (ret'd) WH 220 233 6112
1 September 1982
COVERING SECRET