Dear Chn's,
CONFIDENTIAL
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
24 February 1985
ir
Mr Gaismar Thy, He
Fr. Wilson
lin
HONG KONG: NATIONALITY ORDER IN COUNCIL
I was most grateful to you for sending me a personal copy of the draft letter which Home Office officials are recommending that the Home Secretary send to the Prime Minister and OD (K) colleagues. We have arranged for Mr Waddington and Mr Renton to meet at 3 pm on Wednesday 26 February. In advance of their talk, I thought it might be helpful if I set out some of our thoughts in writing.
Mr Renton is extremely grateful for the sympathetic way in which Mr Waddington and his officials have approached the requests being made from Hong Kong. He recognises that they have not been easy and that considerable efforts have been made to accommodate them.
We are broadly content with what is proposed for the passport endorsement, though we strongly prefer the second alternative for the footnote given in the draft leaflet annexed to the letter, ie the one which was preferred by the Hong Kong officials. As you know there is reason to believe that the package on passport endorsements would be acceptable in Hong Kong if this footnote were accepted: however before the letter issues we should like to confirm this with the Governor who may possibly wish to consult the Executive Council briefly and in confidence. We do not wish to do this until we are sure that you and the Home Secretary are happy with what is proposed.
The non-Chinese minorities are inevitably the area of most concern, As you know, in purely Hong Kong terms we have said that we would not wish to press you to go further than you are now proposing, and we well understand the difficulties. However although we believe that unofficials in Hong Kong may privately acquiesce in what is proposed, they will, as you say, continue publicly to complain that not enough is being done for the Indians. The Hong Kong press will take the same line. We remain worried about the Parliamentary reaction to this, especially in the House of Lords. Mr Renton
24
for
/understands