OCMIAN 3487
SECRET
OO HOKON
FM FCOLN TO HOKON
3U1200Z JUL
GRS 610
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TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 1629
OF 301200Z JULY 86
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
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53487 - 1
PERSONAL FOR ACTING GOVERNOR FROM WILSON
STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT: EMILY LAU
1.
YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF TWO CONVERSATIONS WHICH
EMILY LAU OF THE FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW HAD (SEPARATELY)
WITH MR RENTON AND MYSELF OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS. BOTH
MEETINGS WITH HER WERE QUOTE UNATTRIBUTABLE UNQUOTE IE SHE WAS
ALLOWED TO SOURCE COMMENTS TO QUOTE THE VIEW IN LONDON UNQUOTE
BUT NOTHING MORE PRECISE. SHE RAISED TWO POINTS OF WHICH YOU
SHOULD BE FOREWARNED BEFORE THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE FEER APPEARS ON
1 AUGUST. WHAT FOLLOWS IS PRIMARILY FOR YOUR OWN INFORMATION,
BUT YOU MAY WISH TO PASS WORD TO GENERAL DUTIES BRANCH AND JOHN
CHAN OF THE GIS.
2.
THE FIRST POINT RELATED TO OUR ALLEGED COMMUNICATION TO
THE CHINESE OF QUOTE OPTIONS UNQUOTE FOR THE 1987 REVIEW. MS LAU
TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS PLANNING TO WRITE AN ARTICLE WHICH WOULD
STATE THAT WE HAD GIVEN THE CHINESE A RANGE OF OPTIONS FOR WHAT
WOULD APPEAR IN THE REVIEW, AND HAD TOLD THEM WE HOPED THEY WOULD
TAKE ACCOUNT OF THESE OPTIONS IN DRAFTING THE BASIC LAW.
3.
I TOLD MS LAU THAT A STATEMENT ON THESE LINES WOULD BE
BOTH INACCURATE AND MISLEADING. IN INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS WITH THE
1
HKK ON|1
- 6 AUG 1986
A86/81
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