SECRET
Redacted under FOI exemption 27(1)
39
Fvivign and Commonwealth Office
HKK 0!!/3.
14 FEB 1984
RY
Taken
No P
KES
Dear John,
Future of Hong Kong
London SW1A 2AH
49
13 February 1984
See (60
Your letter of 10 February contained an amendment that the Prime Minister wished to make to paragraph 4 of the Working Paper on Constitutional Arrangements and Central Government Structures.
After Sir Geoffrey Howe had sent his minute to the Prime Minister on 7 February we received a suggestion from Peking that paragraph 4 should be expanded
You should know for the record that, taking account of the Prime Minister's amendment, the paragraph would now read:
"The Government of the Hong Kong SAR would be composed
of local inhabitants. The Chief Executive official of the SAR and other chief officials (ie the Chief Secretary, the Financial Secretary and the Attorney General) would be nominated on the basis of elections or consultations held locally. The persons nominated would be appointed by the Central People's Government. Other officials would be appointed by the SAR Government.'
This represents a slight expansion of the paragraph to bring it more closely into line with what we now know of the Chinese position. It does not involve any change with policy implications. The Governor is intending to put the paper in this form to EXCO on 15 February.
I am copying this letter to the Private Secretaries of the other members of OD(K) and to Sir Robert Armstrong.
A J Coles Esq 10 Downing Street
Yes ever,
Peter Ricketts
(P F Ricketts)
Private Secretary
SECRET