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11861
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HANDLING OF THE GREEN PAPER
20. A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT POINT FOR US TO DECIDE IS THE
NATURE OF OUR CONTACTS WITH THE CHINESE OVER THE GREEN (AND IN
DUE COURSE, THE WHITE) PAPER. THE CHINESE HAVE ASKED FOR ENOUGH
ADVANCE NOTICE QUOTE TO PERMIT STUDY UNQUOTE. IT WOULD BE
CONSISTENT WITH PAST PRACTICE (FOR EXAMPLE OVER THE WHITE PAPERS
PUBLISHED BY HMG AND THE HKG IN 1984) FOR US TO GIVE THE CHINESE
AN ADVANCE TEXT A SHORT TIME BEFORE PUBLICATION: BUT FORMAL
CONSULTATION ON THE BASIS OF A DRAFT WOULD LEAVE US OPEN TO
UNDESIRABLE PRESSURES.
21. THE FOLLOWING APPROACH MIGHT BEST RECONCILE OUR VARIOUS
OBJECTIVES:
(I) THE GENERAL THEMES TO BE COVERED IN THE GREEN PAPER, AND THE
APPROACH TO BE ADOPTED TO THE ISSUE OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE
LEGISLATURE, WOULD BE THOROUGHLY EXPLAINED TO THE CHINESE OVER
THE MONTHS IN ADVANCE OF PUBLICATION. (THE POSSIBLE MEETINGS
BETWEEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND WU IN MARCH AND APRIL AND
DEMARCHES BY SIR R EVANS COULD ALL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.)
(II) THE TREATMENT IN THE GREEN PAPER OF ELECTIONS TO THE
LEGISLATURE WOULD NEED PARTICULARLY CLOSE DISCUSSION. THIS MIGHT
BE ON THE BASIS OF A PAPER WHICH WOULD IN EFFECT BE AN ADVANCE
EXTRACT FROM THE DRAFT GREEN PAPER (BUT NOT EXPLICITLY PRESENTED
AS SUCH).
(III) THE FULL TEXT OF THE GREEN PAPER WOULD BE PASSED TO THE
CHINESE SOME TEN DAYS IN ADVANCE OF PUBLICATION. IT WOULD NOT BE
PRESENTED AS A DRAFT. BUT WE SHOULD HAVE TO RECOGNISE (AS WE DID
OVER THE SEPTEMBER 1984 WHITE PAPER ON THE JOINT DECLARATION)
THAT IF THE CHINESE CHOSE TO PRESS FOR TEXTUAL CHANGES THIS WOULD
BE VERY DIFFICULT TO RESIST. WE HAVE TO STRIKE THE BEST BALANCE
THAT WE CAN BETWEEN GIVING THE CHINESE SUCH AMPLE ADVANCE NOTICE
AS TO INVITE AMENDMENTS AND SO LITTLE ADVANCE NOTICE THAT ANY
SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENT WOULD RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT DELAY IN
PUBLICATION.
22. IT IS TOO EARLY TO CONSIDER HOW THE WHITE PAPER WILL HAVE TO
BE HANDLED WITH THE CHINESE. THIS WILL DEPEND ON THE NATURE OF
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