DWF TL50/20
PEKING TL 107
TO FCO
Jour
HONG KONG
GX 560
CONFIDENTIAL
TELELETTER
CMD114
HKK040/1
2 2 APR 1983
RN PEIRCE, PEKING
Enter Jutive file
сез
258
a 43 to 1 Thawn Foll H Wather, RD
ICHIKE
Ану боз?
214
FROM
19 APRIL 1983
FOLLOWING FOR
W MORRIS ESQ, HKGD FCO
COPIED TO
R P MARGOLIS ESQ, DPA HONG KONG
CHINESE ACADEMIC ON HONG KONG
1. PEXING REVIEW OF 18 APRIL CONTAINED A PAPER BY PET MONONG, SENIOR RESEARCHER AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE CHINESE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, WHICH WAS DESCRIBED AS AN OUTLINE OF THE AUTHOR'S PRESENTATION TO A SYMPOSIUM OF CHINESE AND JAPANESE SCHOLARS IN TOKYO ON 12 APRIL ON THE TOPIC CHINA'S FUTURE POSITION IN ASIA, PET DEALT WITH CHINA'S FOREIGN RELATIONS WITH HER NEIGHBOURS AND WITH THE SUPERPOWERS BUT HE LISTED FIRST THE INTERNAL TASKS, THE SULFILLMENT OF WHICH WOULD ENABLE CHINA TO STEP INTO THE 21ST CENTURY A MODERNISED AND
FULLY UNIFIED SOCIALIST NATION.
2. THE INTERNAL TASKS WERE:
(A) MODERNISATION:
(B) THE RETURN OF TAIWAN TO THE MOTHERLAND SO AS TO REALISE THE COUNTRY'S PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION:
(C) THE RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG.
3. THE FULL TEXT OF (C) WAS AS FOLLOWS:
BEGINS: 3. THE RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY OVER XIANGGANG (HONG KONG) (LAST EIGHT WORDS UNDERLINED). XIANGGANG IS INHERENTLY CHINESE SOIL AND SOVEREIGNTY OVER IT RESIDES WITH CHINA. THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY ANNOUNCED THAT WHEN THE CONDITIONS ARE RIPE THE WHOLE AREA OF XIANGGANG, WILL REVERT TO CHINA. CHINA'S “OUTBELTHE-FURSUIVING THE XIANGGANG QUESTION, AS I PERSONÁLL
SEE IT, MIGHT BE RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY AND MAINTENANCE OF PROSPERITY. THE MAJOR PREMISE IS SOVEREIGNTY BECAUSE NO NATION CAN SACRIFICE SOVEREIGNTY FOR PROSPERITY. THE QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY IS NOT NEGOTIABLE SEMICOLON THERE IS NO ROOM FOR BARGAING. AFTER XIANGGANG REVERTS TO CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY THE QUESTION OF HOW TO MAINTAIN ITS PROSPERITY IS ONE OF MANAGEMENT OF POLICY. IN LINE WITH THE ABOVE-MENTIONED NINE-POINT PROPOSAL FOR THE PEACEFUL REUNIFICATION OF TAIWAN, I WOULD EXPECT THAT CHINA WOULD ADOPT SPECIAL POLICIES FOR XIANGGANG DESIGNED TO MAINTAIN ITS PROSPERITY. SUCH POLICIES MIGHT INCLUDE: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SPECIAL XIANGGANG ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT, ADMINISTERED BY THE LOCAL CHINESE PEOPLE SEMICOLON NO CHANGES IN THE CURRENT SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEM OR IN LIFE-STYLE SEMICOLON PRESERVATION OF ITS STATUS AS A FREE PORT AND CENTRE OF INTER- NATIONAL FINANCE SEMICOLON MAINTENANCE OF XIANGGANG'S FOREIGN ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL RELATIONS ETC. CHINA AND GREAT BRITAIN ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF HOLDING NEGOTIATIONS ON THIS QUESTION. I BELIEVE THAT THROUGH CONSULTATIONS THIS QUESTION CAN BE SOLVED SATISFACTORILY. I THINK THAT CHINA WILL RECOVER SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE WHOLE AREA OF XIANGGANG WITHIN AN APPROPRIATE PERIOD OF TIME, NO LATER THAN 1997. ENDS.
4. PEI ALSO ADDED: ''IN PASSING, I ALSO EXPECT THAT CHINA WILL RECOVER SOVEREIGNTY OVER AOMEN (MACAO) WITHING A SUITABLE PERIOD
OF TIME.
**OF COURSE, CHINA'S SOVEREIGNTY OVER ISLANDS OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA WILL ALSO BE RECOVERED IN THE PROCESS.''
5. WE HAVE NOT SEEN HONG KONG DEALT WITH AT THIS LENGTH BEFORE IN A SPEECH OR PAPER OF SUCH A GENERAL NATURE. THAT SAID THERE ARE NO STARTLING POINTS AND INDEED SOME HELPFUL ELELMENTS, EG. THE CONTRAST BETWEEN RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY (HONG KONG) AND **RETURN TO THE MOTHERLAND' AND 'REUNIFICATION11 (TAIWAN), AND THE REFERENCE TO CURRENT TALKS WITH BRITAIN, COUPLED WITH THE STATEMENT THAT THE QUESTION CAN BE SOLVED THROUGH CONSULTATIONS.
RN PEIRCE
NANN
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