ཏ། ཨུ ཨ ཨ ཨཱ ཨིནྟི ཙཱི དང
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ACCEPT AS SINCERE CHINESE INTENTION TO CONSULT PEOPLE OF HONG KONG ON A WIDE BASIS.
HAVE NOT AT PRESENT IDENTIFIED ANY ISSUES IN THIS AREA WHICH CALL FOR 'CONSULTATION AND SOLUTION" BY BOTH
SIDES.
THE ABOVE CONSTITUTES OUR REPLY TO THE CHINESE SUGGESTION. YOU ARE HOWEVER AUTHORISED IN ADDITION TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THE BRITISH SIDE WOULD BE WILLING TO HAVE A DIALOGUE ON CHINESE ANXIETIES ABOUT ANY FUTURE CHANGES IN THE STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG. IMPORTANT FOR ALL CONCERNED THAT THE 'LOCOMOTIVE' REMAINS ON THE RAILS AND THAT ANY NEW -- ARRANGEMENTS WHICH EVOLVE ARE DURABLE.
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MUST. HOWEVER BE CAREFUL ABOUT. THE FRAMEWORK FOR SUCH DISCUSSIONS. CHINESE SIDE KNOW AS WELL AS WE DO HONG KONG SENSITIVITIES ABOUT JLG- FORMAL DISCUSSION IN JLG WOULD RISK GIVING THE SUBJECT A HIGH PUBLIC PROFILE, AND MANY IN HONG KONG WOULD SAY THIS WAS INVOLVING JLG DIRECTLY IN ADMINISTERING HỌNG KONG BEFORE 1997 OR EXERCISING SUPERVISORY ROLE OVER THAT ADMINISTRATION. (REFER TO STORY WHICH HAS ALREADY APPEARED IN THE MIRROR MAGAZINE.) THIS WOULD DAMAGE CONFIDENCE, AND THUS STABILITY AND PROSPERITY. TOO EARLY TO GET INTO A FORMAL EXCHANGE ON ISSUES OF THIS COMPLEXITY AND SENSITIVITY TO BOTH SIDES.
BUT HMG WOULD WARMLY WELCOME CONTINUING INFORMAL EXCHANGE OF IDEAS ON FUTURE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT NEITHER SIDE HAVE AT THIS STAGE PRECONCEIVED AND FIXED IDEAS AND BOTH WILL HAVE TO HAVE REGARD TO WHAT WILL MAINTAIN CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG. WILLING TO EXPLORE POSSIBILITIES OF SUCH A
DIALOGUE WITH CHINESE SIDE.'
WE THINK IT BETTER AT THIS STAGE NOT TO INSTRUCT THE AMBASSADOR TO ENLARGE ON HOW SUCH A DIALOGUE MIGHT BE CONDUCTED. THE SPEAKING NOTE AS IN PARA 7(E) OF YOUR FIRST TUR SOUNDS A LITTLE AS THOUGH WE THOUGHT VISITS BY SENIOR CHINESE LEADERS AND BRIEFINGS IN PEKING BY THE PA WOULD THEMSELVES BE SUFFICIENT.
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