SECRET

10842 1

-

(II)

(III)

(IV) (V)

(VI)

17.

TO EXPLAIN TO THEM IN ADVANCE WHAT ISSUES IT WILL HAVE TO

COVER, AND HOW HONG KONG OPINION IS LIKELY TO EXPRESS

ITSELF ON EACH:

TO DESCRIBE THE SCOPE AND GENERAL CONTENT OF THE GREEN

AND WHITE PAPERS:

TO GIVE THEM ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE TEXTS:

IN PARTICULAR TO EXPLAIN WHAT PROPOSALS WE DECIDE WE HAVE TO MAKE IN THE WHITE PAPER, INCLUDING POSSIBLY PROPOSALS

ON DIRECT ELECTIONS:

TO KEEP ABREAST OF, AND WHERE POSSIBLE TO INFLUENCE,

THEIR OWN THINKING ON THESE ISSUES.

THE

A FULL RANGE OF CHANNELS WILL HAVE TO BE USED.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND WU XUEQIAN WILL

CONTINUE TO BE OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE. IT CAN BE SUPPLEMENTED,

AS THE NEED AND OPPORTUNITY ARISES, BY OTHER CONTACTS. THESE MIGHT INCLUDE DEMARCHES BY SIR R EVANS, VISITS TO PEKING BY THE NEW GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG AND OTHER HONG KONG OFFICIALS AND VISITS BY CHINESE OFFICIALS TO HONG KONG. IN ADDITION THE VIEWS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL REACH THE CHINESE IN A VARIETY OF

WAYS BOTH DIRECT AND INDIRECT.

18.

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT WHAT WE KNOW AT THIS STAGE ABOUT

MINISTERIAL MOVEMENTS, THE FOLLOWING IS A PROPOSED CHRONOLOGY OF MAIN CONTACTS WITH THE CHINESE OVER THE 1987 REVIEW:

JANUARY 1987

MESSAGE FROM SECRETARY OF STATE TO WU.

-

REFERS TO 1987 AS AN IMPORTANT YEAR FOR HONG

KONG AND EXPRESSES THE HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE

THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE

BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS ABOUT THE ISSUES

THAT WILL ARISE:

RECALLS, WITH REFERENCE TO WHAT ZHOU NAN SAID TO THE LATE GOVERNOR IN DECEMBER, THAT WE ARE APPROACHING THE 1987 REVIEW WITH A TOTALLY OPEN

MIND AND WITHOUT PRE-JUDGEMENT:

EXPRESSES THE HOPE THAT THE TWO MINISTERS MIGHT BE ABLE TO MEET IN MARCH DURING WU'S VISIT TO

2

SECRET

Share This Page