CODE 18-77
Reference
CONFIDENTIAL
Af1413
'Никоно/2
дом
Mr W Morris
HKGD
14 MAR 1983
H:AK 040/3
16.
FUTURE OF HONG KONG:
1.
i
CHINESE AND HONG KONG PRESS COVERAGE
22
(Copy attached)
Please refer to Peter Webb's teleletter dated 18 February reporting the article by Chen Tiqiang in Zhongguo fazhi bao, reprinted in the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po.
2. Chen's comments are in line with the explanation of Article 31 which was given in the official report on the new Chinese Constitution delivered by Peng Zhen to the National People's Congress in December 1982. Chen has spelt out the relevance of this article for Hong Kong, whereas Peng Zhen left this implicit.
3. The publication of such statements on giving "consideration" to the wishes of the local inhabitants seems to me an important development, although it is of course not clear how far the Chinese would be prepared to go towards genuine consultation. But they do at least have good reasons to wish to avoid any impression of imposing a solution against the wishes of Hong Kong's inhabitants.
4.
With the copies of this minute addressed to Peter Webb and Bob Peirce I am enclosing a copy of my minute of 23 December on the new Constitution and Peng Zhen's report.
(072) никочо/, 1982.
Kafalken
KC Walker
Far Eastern Section Research Department G 59/4
233 3473
7 March 1983
Cc:
Mr NJ Cox, FED
Mr DG Martin, Cabinet Office Mr R N Peirce, Peking (with encl) Mr P I Webb, Hong Kong (with encl)
PUSD
My Howt
The Chrise cetary
2 p.a.
but
are talking more about the wishes of the ten people
Hen tend to lump them in with those of the
し
lapez
1 billion chinese. I find the for prospect
of any formal and underpread
cansultation
CONFIDENTIAL
pretty unlikely
Trospect
1973
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