GRS 600
SECRET
DESKDY 23023OZ
SECRET
FM HONG KONG 230550Z AUGUST 82
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
TELECRAM NUMBER 903 OF 23 AUGUST
FOLLOWING PERSONAL FOR CLIFT (HKGD)
STRUCTURE OF THE HONG KONG STUDY
TOP COF
HKK 040 3
DECAYED IN KO-
2 3 ALK 82
I THINK THE FIRST HALF OF THE PAPER WOULD FLOW MORE
LOGICALLY IF, HAVING SET OUT THE DILEMMA (WHICH IS INCIDENTALLY A DILEMMA FOR THE CHINESE AS WELL AS US), IT THEN SET OUT
THE POSITIONS AND AIMS OF THE THREE INTERESTED PARTIES
(UK, CHINA AND HK) WHICH MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN RESOLVING THE DILEMMA. THESE POSITIONS SET THE SCENE
FOR ALL THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION OF THE PAPER.
2. THE ORDER WOULD THUS BE:
A. THE PROBLEM. (PARAS 1, 2 AND 3 (LESS FIRST SENTENCE): SEE
BELOW).
B. BRITISH INTERESTS. (PARAS 5 AND 6),
C. THE CHINESE POSITION. (PARAS 10 AND 11: SEE ALSO BELOW).
D. THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. (PARA 8).
3. FROM THIS WOULD FLOW THE CONCLUSION THAT NONE OF THE
CLASSIC AND OTHERWISE STRAIGHTFORWARD SOLUTIONS ARE
LIKELY TO BE PRACTICABLE:
A. SITTING TIGHT (PARA 19(A)), DECAUSE CONFIDENCE WILL FAIL.
3. INDEPENDENCE, THE CLASSIC SOLUTION TO COLONIAL PROBLEMS, BECAUSE OF THE CHINESE POSITION. (IT WAS INCIDENTALLY THE WISH TO RULE OUTTHIS OPTION WHICH LAY BEHIND THEIR ACTION IN 1972, NOT ALTRUISM TOWARDS US AS SUGGESTED IN PARA 15 OF
THE PAPER).
C. EXTENSION OF THE NEW TERRITORIES LEASE, (PARA 19(B)) BECAUSE
OF THE CHINESE POSITION.
D. GOVERNING THE RUMP (THE CEDED TERRITORIES) BECAUSE HONG KONG IS NOW A SINGLE ENTITY AND CHINA WOULD NOT CO-OPERATE, (FIRST SENTENCE OF PARA 3 AND PARA 12),
SECRET
Par 619
|E.