attached
CODE IS **
yle, the Manisa
мне
See alr
•
Mr Thomson, FED
5/
SECRET
Covering wakye A Milnest call
Reference
The suggestion at panas
5
Sh
сана
hint and a
be
жи
to see Mar Aeone's runte
und indeed be useful.! shold of intested
for the 745/8
THE 41
FUTURE OF HONG KONG CHINESE VIEWS ON THE QUESTION OF A GOVERNOR
1.
Your manuscript minute on Mr Morris's minute of 1 August to Mr Clift (on PUSD papers). I agree that this is a useful piece of research, which suggests that the Chinese have established (in broad terms) what they do not want but not precisely what they do want.
2.
3.
Thus I also agree with Mr Morris that
a.
See (441)
the Chinese have made it clear that they would not accept a Governor sent from and appointed by London; but
b. we should not rule out the possibility of a Governor being appointed through some form of China/UK/Hong Kong
consultation.
But I am less sure about Mr Morris's assertion that the crux of the matter is to whom the Governor would be accountable. At least we first need to decide more clearly what we mean by accountability. We would obviously prefer full accountability to the FCO as at present but can we whittle this down somewhat and/or present it in a different way, so as to make it more acceptable to the Chinese? Can we be satisfied with the right to require the Governor to submit his decisions to the Hong Kong legislature? If so accountability is perhaps the wrong word and we should avoid letting it become a key criterion of policy.
4. In considering institutional changes in Hong Kong we should not let present constitutional forms blind us to present practical realities. To take one example, even at present a Governor who wholly lost the confidence of either the people of Hong Kong or the Chinese Government could surely not survive for very long. HMG does not have
a free hand in Hong Kong now: is it unthinkable that this reality should be reflected in Hong Kong's institutions and procedures?
5. I hope Research Department will soon be enabled to carry out research tasks such as that attempted by Mr Morris (who I am sure would be the first to admit that he was able only to skim the surface of the material). I would be interested for example to see notes of Chinese statements on:
い
ا
a.
alternative heads of the Hong Kong administration
eg, Mayor, Chairman of S.A.R.
b.
the desirability or otherwise of elections in Hong
Kong to choose him.
MKK040
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
4 August 1983-
ZAZU 1983
этого
REGISTRY
PA
ed on Taken
cc: Mr Hoare, HKD / CM25/8
Mr Walker, Research Dent
N J Cox
Far Eastern Department W82
233 5539
SECRET