PEKING TL
TO FCO
HONG
кома
WASHINGTON
GRS 600
CONFIDENTIAL
TELELETTER
Enter 040/5 I have
(2299)
minted
ffen
FROM:- RN PEARCE ESQ., PEKING
FILE REF NIL DATED 7 SEPTEMBER 1983
MKK09015
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
13 SEP 1983
DESK OF FICER INDEX
PA
REGISTITY
Action Taken
FOLLOWING FOR :-
W MORRIS ESQ. HKD FCO
FCO
COPIED TO :-
RP MARGOLIS ESQ., DPA HONG KONG
S GOMERSALL ESQ., WASHINGTON
See 317
FUTURE OF HONG KONG:
VISIT OF US SENATOR HATCH
1. US SENATORS ORRIN HATCH AND EDWARD ZORINSKY AND
MRS ANNA CHENNAULT CALLED ON FOREIGN MINISTER WU XUEQVAN
ON 30 AUGUST. THE US EMBASSY HAVE SHOWN US AN EXCERPT OF THE
TRANSCRIPT OF THIS MEETING WHICH REFERS TO HONG OKONG.
2. IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION FROM SENATOR HATCH ABOUT THE
STATE OF THE HONG KONG TALKS, WU XUEQIAN SAID
THE FOLLOWING:
BEGINS: CHINA AND BRITAIN HAVE ALREADY CONDUCTED THREE ROUNDS
OF TALKS ON THE ISSUE OF RETURNING SOVEREIGNTY TO CHINA.
NOW THE MEETINGS ARE IN RECESS, SCHEDULED TO RESUME IN SEPTEMBER.
WITH REGARD TO THE CONTENTS OF THE MEETINGS I THINK WE MUST
ADHERE TO THE AGREEMENT AT THE OUTSET OF THE TALKS.
HOWEVER OUR AMERICAN FFRIENDS KNOW OUR POSITION VERY WELL. NOT LONG AGO, THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE CNETRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA HAD A MEETING WITH JAPANESE JOURNALISTS. HE SAID "WE WILL RECOVER THE SOVEREIGNTY OF HONG KONG IN JULY 1997**. TALKS NOW IN PROGRESS ARE CENTERED ON HOW TO ENSURE THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG AFTER THAT. THE BRITISH ACCUSED US OF DISCUSSION OF THE CONTENT OF THE TALKS. THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED. WE THINK CHINA HAS A RIGHT TO GIVE HTS POSITION TO ITS FRIENDS. OUR POSITION IS SIMPLE. THERE ARE THREE POINTS. THE FIRST, RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY ON HONG KONG IS NON-NEGOTIABLE. WITH THIS AS A PRE-CONDITION THE TWO SIDES COULD HOLD TALKS, EXCHANGING VIEWS ON THE TWO POINTS IN A FRINEDLY ATMOSPHERE. THE FIRST (SIC), FROM NOW UNTIL 1997, A TRANSITION PERIOD OF FOURTEEN YEARS, HOW TO MAINTAIN STABILITY AND PROSPERITYFM IT IS OUR HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE NO CHAOTIC SITUATHOE EMERGING IN HONG KONG CAUSED BY NUMEROUS REASONS: WE HOPE THERE WILL BE NO SLIPPING OUT OF HAND IN HONG KONG, WE HOPE NOTHING OUT OF HAND WILL TAKE PLACE, BUT SHOULD IT, AS DENG XIAOPING SAID, WE WILL RECONSIDER THE TIME AND MANNER OF RECOVERY OF HONG KONG. AS FOR THE SECOND POINT, HOW TO ENSURE THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY IN HONG KONG AFTER THE RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY AFTER 1997, HONG KONG WILL BE A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION. WE ARE GOING TO
ADOPT A SERIES OF POLICIES TOWARD THE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION IN LIGHT OF THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS IN HONG KONG. ALL POLICIES ARE AIMED AT THE GOAL OF MAINTAINING THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG. AND FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME AFTER RECOVERY IN HONG KONG THE POLICIES WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED.
AFTER THE FIRST SESSION OF THE SIXTH NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS, CHAIRMAN DENG HAD A MEETING WITH LEADERS FROM HONG KONG. AT THAT TIME, HE EXPLAINED CHINA'S POLICY IN EXPLICIT TERMS. AFTER THEY RETURNED THEY GRADUALLY DISCLOSED WHAT HAD BEEN SAID TO THEM. I WILL NOT REPEAT IT HERE. STILL, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS P'LL TRY TO ANSWER THEM. ENDS.
3. THERE WAS NO FURTHER DISCUSSION HONG KONG.
SIGNED.............R N PEARCE
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