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FM FCO 031430Z NOVEMBER 83
TO PRIORITY PEKING
TELEGRAM NUMBER 759 OF 3 NOVEMBER
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, ROUTINE WASHINGTON
RECEIVED IN NE
1983
Actor
и снош
YOUR TEL 1125 : MR LUCE'S MEETING WITH WOLFOWITZ : FUTURE OF HONG
KONG
1.
FOLLOWING ARE MAIN POINTS OF DISCUSSION. FULL RECORD FOLLOWS
BY BAG.
2. MR LUCE SAID THE ESSENTIAL PROBLEM WAS HOW TO MAINTAIN HONG
KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF 1997.
HE BELIEVED MOST HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED MORE WITH
ENSURING THE CONTINUATION OF THEIR CURRENT LIFESTYLE AND FREEDOMS
THAN WITH THE MECHANICS OF DOING SO. CHINESE RIGIDITY OVER
SOVEREIGNTY/RIGHT OF ADMINISTRATION SHOULD BE SEEN IN TERMS OF
NATIONAL PRIDE AND SENSITIVITY ABOUT THE PRACTICAL MANIFESTATIONS
OF THE UNEQUAL' TREATIES. THE CHINESE HAD SAID THAT ONCE WE
ACCEPTED THEIR PREMISE ON THESE ISSUES, ANYTHING ELSE WAS
NEGOTIABLE.
3. WE HAD INITIALLY TRIED IN THE TALKS TO AMPLIFY CHINESE
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO PRESERVE HONG KONG'S
STABILITY SEMI COLON BUT IT WAS DOUBTFUL IF PEKING UNDERSTOOD.
THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG NEEDED EFFECTIVE GUARANTEES AGAINST
CHINESE INTERFERENCE IN THEIR AFFAIRS. DISCUSSION HAD THUS
CENTRED ON THE EXTENT OF THE BRITISH LINK NECESSARY TO PROVIDE
EFFECTIVE INSULATION. SO FAR WE HAD MADE THE RUNNING IN THE
TALKS. THE CHINESE HAD BEEN INTRANSIGENT ON SOVEREIGNTY/RIGHT OF
ADMINISTRATION AND UNFORTHCOMING ON THEIR OWN PROPOSALS FOR HONG
KONG, WHICH HAD PROBABLY NOT BEEN FULLY WORKED OUT. WE HOPED FOR A SETTLEMENT WHICH WOULD SATISFY BOTH SIDES ON SOVEREIGNTY/RIGHT OF ADMINISTRATION, AND WOULD ENSHRINE SPECIFIC GUARANTEES FOR HONG KONG. WE HAD TOLD THE CHINESE THAT THE CRUCIAL QUESTION WAS
WHETHER PARLIAMENT WOULD ACCEPT WHAT WAS PROPOSED. THE
ATMOSPHERE AT THE 19/20 OCTOBER ROUND HAD BEEN CONSIDERABLY
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