GR 225
SECRET
FM PEKING 12093OZ JUL 83
TO PRIORITY FCO
SECRET
TELEGRAM NUMBER 665 OF 12 JULY
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
MKK040/1
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: CHINESE IN CHARGE OF THE HONG KONG QUESTION 1. AT LUNCH ON 12 JULY, WE ASKED LU PING WHETHER A REPLACEMENT
HAD BEEN FOUND FOR LIAO CHENG-HI (THE FORMER HEAD OF THE HONG
KONG AND MACAO OFFICE WHO DIED ON 10 JUNE.
2. LU SAID THAT PRESIDENT LI XIANNIAN WAS OVERSEEING THE WORK.
WE SAID THAT WE HAD SEEN HONG KONG REPORTS OF A MEETING ON 25 JUNE
BETWEEN DENG XIAOPING AND HONG KONG DELEGATES TO THE NATIONAL
PEOPLE'S CONGRESS AND THE CHINESE PEOPLE'S POLITICAL CONSULTATIVE
CONFERENCE AT WHICH DENG HAD SAID THAT LI AND ZHAO ZIYANG WERE
DEALING WITH THE HONG KONG QUESTION. LU SAID THAT THERE WAS A
DIVISION OF LABOUR BUT THAT LI WAS IN DIREST CHARGE. WE ASKED
WHETHER YE FEI OR JI PENGFEI WERE INVOLVED. LU SAID YE WAS NOT: HE
ONLY DEALT WITH OVERSEAS CHINESE AFFAIRS. JI, HOWEVER, WAS INVOLVED.
3. WE RECEIVED THE CLEAR IMPRESSION FROM LU THAT THERE IS AS YET
NO FORMAL NEW HEAD OF THE HONG KONG AND MACAO OFFICE. BENEATH DENG
HIMSELF, THE CHAIN OF COMMAND WOULD THUS APPEAR TO BE LI XIANNIAN,
ZHAO ZIYANG AND JI PENGFEI.
CRADOCK
394
пат
page 18.
FUTURE OF HONG KONG
LIMITED
HD/HKD
SIR I SINCLAIR LEGAL ADVISER
(REPEATED AS REQUESTED)
COPIES TO:
ED/FED
MR BURROWS
ED/PLANNING STAFF
MR MARTIN
HD/PUSD
PS
MR FLOWER
MR COLES
PS/LADY YOUNG
PS/MR LUCE
PS/PUS
STR J BULLARD
MR GIFFARD
MR DONALD
MR WRIGHT
LEGAL ADVISERS
ASSESSMENTS STAFF CABINET OFFICE
PUSD
NO 10 DOWNING ST
SIR A PARSONS
MR WALKER,
n
IT
RESEARCH DEPT (Goces)-
MR ROBERTS NEWS D
SECRET
15