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important that HMG should not lay themselves open to the charge that they are trying to avoid taking account of Hong Kong ideas until too late. Our acknowledgement to the Chinese (and also, privately, to EXCO) that the agreement will not be susceptible to amendment after publication makes this all the more important. This is a point which has particular relevance in the Parliamentary context. expect close questioning about the efforts which were made to solicit Hong Kong opinion while the negotiations were still in progress.
We can
4.
Such an
These amount to strong arguments in favour of a positive soliciting of Hong Kong views even in advance of September. approach also carries risks, however. The Governor has expressed
the view that if Hong Kong people were asked to offer their views more actively on the unveiling statement of 20 April, we might find the general verdict to be that the prospect was not acceptable as it stood. Indeed the Hong Kong reaction to the unveiling statement has been steadily more critical as the message has sunk in. An associated risk is that Hong Kong people, encouraged to put forward proposals, might suggest elements for inclusion in an agreement which would be manifestly unattainable: that in turn could risk greater disappointment later on.
5. There is also the danger of adverse reaction on the Chinese side. It is the Chinese position (described in more detail in paragraph 10 below) that Hong Kong is an internal matter of national policy in which the people of Hong Kong do not have a decisive say. They do not recognise our right to consult the people of Hong Kong.. They are prone to suspect that we are orchestrating anti-Chinese sentiment or colluding with public opinion to strengthen our position in the negotiation. Chinese principle and Chinese suspicision, however ill-founded both may be, must therefore be balanced against our political requirement to consult actively with the people of Hong Kong.
6.
While the Chinese did not react unfavourably to the 20 April statement, and indirectly indicated their approval, their
sensitivity to the idea that Hong Kong might have its own voice in negotiations on the future remains as acute as ever. The Ambassador
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