LEAD IN
HONG KONG BRIEFING: LEAD-IN
Debate on 15 May will be first significant
opportunity for HK to be discussed on the Floor of the
House. But a good deal of discussion already in the
HK backbench group; and between FCO Ministers and
interested MPs.
Parliamentary involvement likely to increase as year
goes on. Possibility of further full-scale debate in
autumn.
Government's decision to open question of HK with
Chinese during PM's visit in September 1982 was careful
and deliberate. We had to weigh:
i)
pressures within HK for reassurance about medium and
long term;
ii) commercial pressures: problems of land leases, etc;
iii) need to get Chinese leadership and likely successors
thinking about HK;
iv)
desirability of beginning process of explaining to
Chinese the complexities of HK and how it functions.
Although some people now voicing doubts, overwhelming
majority of HK opinion satisfied we were right to ventilate
issue in 1982.