(Q) CONCLUSION
CONFIDENTIAL
34. I am very encouraged by the favourable reception this
agreement has received from noble Lords. If the motion is approved my rt hon Friend the Prime Minister will visit Peking on 19 December, accompanied by the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, to sign the agreement. then visit Hong Kong.
They will
35. An era of Hong Kong's life will come to an end in 1997: but another, no less full or promise, will begin. The
British and Chinese Governments are committed to making the
agreement work. But success of the agreement will depend not
just on China and the UK, but also on the people of Hong Kong. We have given the people of Hong Kong a firm basis on
which to build a prosperous future. They are a resourceful
and resilient people and I believe that they will make Hong Kong in the 21st century an even more striking financial,
economic and social success then it is today.
gives them the foundation on which to build. agreement and constitutes a firm foundation.
commend it to the House today.
The agreement It is a good
That is why I
Hong Kong Department
7 December 1984
CONFIDENTIAL
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CODE 18-77