LB2ACD
FILE
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
W M Sulke Esq CBE JP
Urban Councillor
Bonaventure House 1st Floor Leighton Road
HONG KONG
Dear Min Sulke,
8 April 1986
I have been asked to reply to your
your letters of 18 February to the Prime Minister and to Sir Geoffrey Howe, with which you enclosed copies of your recent speech to the Rotary Club of Victoria. I must first apologise for the delay in replying to your two letters.
We naturally welcome all contributions of this sort to the public debate now going on in Hong Kong about the future development of Representative Government. So far as HM Government are concerned, all I can say at present is that all points of view will be taken into consideration when the 1987 review takes place. I must emphasise that no decisions have yet been taken on this.
The
It would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment in detail on the views you have expressed. But I feel I must take issue with your statement that "the UK Government has made it quite clear that they have now done the best they can for us and washed their hands of the whole affair".
This is simply not so. Government are fully committed to implementing the Joint Declaration, which you rightly recognise as a good agreement, and will do everything possible to ensure that the transition of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty is achieved with a minimum of disruption to its people and way of life. Much work remains for us between now and 1997 to ensure that this objective is achieved.
You may rest assured that the British Government are well aware their responsibilities towards Hong Kong and have intention of "washing their hands" of this obligation as you suggest.
Yours siicerely,
Waliony Loyden
A M Layden
Hong Kong/Department
HKRO!!!!
RECEIVED IN
- 9 APR 1986
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