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FM FCO 02170OZ NOV 83
TO PRIORITY OTTAWA
TELEGRAM NUMBER 385 OF 2 NOVEMBER
THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG
1.
HICK 040/5
RECEIVED IN REGISTHY
- 3 NOV 1983
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
REGISTRY
Buch Taken
PA
M
cmislil
पाड
ON 21 OCTOBER THE CANADIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER WROTE TO THE
PRIME MINISTER TO TRANSMIT A MESSAGE FROM MR TRUDEAU.
IT
RECORDED A CONVERSATION WHICH MR TRUDEAU HAD HAD WITH THE CHINESE
FOREIGN MINISTER ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG.
2. PLEASE NOW CONVEY TO MR TRUDEAU THE FOLLOWING REPLY:
BEGINS
DEAR PIERRE
I WAS GRATEFUL FOR YOUR MESSAGE PASSED TO ME BY YOUR HIGH
COMMISSIONER ON 21 OCTOBER. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS
ABOUT MY VISIT TO CANADA. I GREATLY ENJOYED MY STAY AND FOUND
OUR DISCUSSIONS MOST VALUABLE.
I WAS INTERESTED BY CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WU XUEQIAN'S
RECENT COMMENTS TO YOU ABOUT HONG KONG. AS YOU SUGGEST, THEY
BROADLY REFLECT WHAT WE KNOW ALREADY OF CHINA'S PLAN FOR HONG
KONG AS A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF CHINA. THERE ARE,
HOWEVER, ONE OR TWO INTERESTING DIFFERENCES OF EMPHASIS WHICH
FURTHER UNDERLINE OUR BELIEF THAT THE CHINESE HAVE NOT FULLY
THOUGHT THROUGH THEIR PLAN.
THE LATEST ROUND OF SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON HONG KONG, WHICH
TOOK PLACE ON 19/20 OCTOBER, WAS AN ENCOURAGING ONE. CONFIDENCE
IN HONG KONG WAS STRENGTHENED BY THE JOINT STATEMENT WHICH
DESCRIBED THE ROUND AS USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE. THE NEXT SESSION
WILL BE HELD ON 14 AND 15 NOVEMBER, AGAIN IN PEKING. I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS IN PERSUADING THE CHINESE TO GET DOWN
TO MORE PRACTICAL DISCUSSIONS OF CONCRETE QUESTIONS. WE SHALL
KEEP YOU IN THE PICTURE AS THE TALKS PROCEED, IN PARTICULAR WITH
A VIEW TO PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG'S VISIT TO CANADA IN JANUARY.
YOURS EVER
MARGARET
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