GRS 450 SECRET
FM HONG KONG
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 2477
OF 3109OOZ JULY 87
INFO HIMMEDIATE PEKING
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TOP COPY Q DIST 7
PERSONAL FOR WILSON AND HM AMBASSADOR FROM ACTING GOVERNOR.
(322) YOUR TELNO 1629 : EMILY LAU.
1. MISS LAU'S ARTICLE IS BEING FAXED TO YOU. IT IS NOT AS BAD AS IT
MIGHT HAVE BEEN. SHE DOES NOT MENTION THE PAPERS. BUT SHE DOES SAY
''THE BRITISH DO NOT WANT THE CHINESE TO BE SURPRISED BY WHAT WILL
BE DEALT WITH IN THE 1987 REVIEW AND SO ARE TRYING TO MAKE CLEAR TO
PEKING THE RANGE OF ISSUES IT SHOULD COVER''
2. NONETHELESS SHE DOES KNOW ABOUT THE PAPERS AND MAY CHOOSE TO
USE THIS KNOWLEDGE AT SOME LATER DATE. DEPENDING ON THE TERMS IN
WHICH SHE REFERS TO THEM I SHOULD STRONGLY PREFER OUR DEFENSIVE LINE TO AVOID BEING DRAWN ON THIS POINT. WE COULD SAY SIMPLY THAT THE PROCESS OF EXCHANGING VIEWS AND INFORMATION RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION WITH THE CHINESE IS A CONTINUOUS ONE. AS WELL AS OUR FORMAL DISCUSSIONS, WE HAVE HAD INFORMAL CONTACTS WITH THE CHINESE ON MANY SUBJECTS, INCLUDING
THE PRESENT STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT IN HONG KONG. IF PRESSED FOR DETAIL, WE COULD PLAY IT MUCH AS YOU DID WITH MISS LAU.
3. TO REFER SPECIFICALLY TO THE EXISTENCE OF PAPERS, AND IN PARTICULAR TO THE FACT THAT ONE OF THEM DEALS IN SOME WAY WITH THE 1987 REVIEW, WILL INEVITABLY BE SEEN BY SOME HERE AS CONFIRMATION THAT WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO PRECOOK THE REVIEW WITH THE CHINESE. I ACCEPT HOWEVER, THAT THE TERMS OF A FUTURE ARTICLE BY MISS LAU, IN PARTICULAR HER SOURCING, MAY WELL MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DENY THAT THE PAPERS EXIST. IN THIS CASE WE HAVE THE LINE AGREED BY EXCO ON
8 JULY (OF WHICH YOU WILL HAVE A RECORD). ONE AMENDMENT TO THIS LINE: THAT IN (B), WE ''VARIOUS VIEWS BEING EXPRESSED IN HONG KONG FOR THE PRESENT STATE OF OPINION IN HONG KONG (WHICH COULD BE SEEN TO BE A
SUBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT).
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WOULD HOWEVER SUGGEST
SHOULD SUBSTITUTE
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HKK 011/1
- 6 AUG 1986
AJB 6/8
BZit