SECRET
FM PEKING
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 226
OF 0310O6Z
FEBRUARY 88
AND TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
SECRET
92
AdOO COL
Q DIST ?
033170
MDHIAN 6211
QURB 011/1
нев
HONG KONG TELNO.465, YOUR TELNO.110, TELECONS JOHN CHAN/MISS BAILES/ RIORDAN OF 3 FEBRUARY AND HONG KONG TELNO.469,
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT:
·
793
WHITE PAPER.
1 SINCE THERE WERE NO POINTS OF SUBSTANCE TO BE RAISED WITH THE CHINESE FOLLOWING MY EARLIER EXCHANGES WITH KE ZAISHUO AND IN VIEW OF THE DETAILED TECHNICAL POINTS WHICH NEEDED TO BE EXPLAINED WHEN HANDING OVER THE WHITE PAPER, I DECIDED THAT MISS BAILES SHOULD TAKE ACTION WITH THE MFA.
2. MISS BAILES ACCORDINGLY CALLED ON WANG JIAJI ON 3 FEBRUARY. SHE HANDED OVER 2 COPIES OF THE ENGLISH AND CHINESE TEXTS OF THE WHITE PAPER: EXPLAINED THAT WE WERE LETTING THE CHINESE SEE ADVANCE COPIES, AS A COURTESY, FOR THEM TO STUDY: TOOK WANG THROUGH THE AMENDMENTS MADE TO ANNEX B IN BOTH THE ENGLISH AND CHINESE VERSIONS: AND EXPLAINED THE PURPOSE OF THESE CHANGES, SAYING THAT THEY INVOLVED NO MATTER OF PRINCIPLE. SHE ALSO STRESSED THAT WE WERE PASSING THESE PAPERS TO THE CHINESE IN STRICT CONFIDENCE AND POINTED OUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR CONTENTS NOT BECOMING PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE BEFORE THE WHITE PAPER WAS PUBLISHED ON 10 FEBRUARY. IT SHOULD, OF COURSE, ALSO NOT BE REVEALED THAT THE CHINESE HAD BEEN PRIVILEGED TO SEE COPIES IN ADVANCE.
3. WANG EXPRESSED THANKS FOR OUR TIMELY PROVISION OF ADVANCE COPIES OF THE WHITE PAPER. HE SAID THAT HE FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE NEED FOR STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY AND POINTED TO THE SUCCESSFUL RECORD OF HANDLING OTHER SENSITIVE PAPERS WHICH WE HAD GIVEN TO THE CHINESE ON THE SAME BASIS IN THE PAST. HE UNDERTOOK TO REPORT TO HIS LEADERS, AND TO THE HKMO OF THE STATE COUNCIL FOR WHOM, HE SAID, THE WHITE PAPER EXERCISE WAS A PARTICULAR PREOCCUPTATION.
4. GRATEFUL IF HONG KONG COULD SEND US 12
COPIES EACH OF THE ENGLISH
AND CHINESE TEXTS OF THE FINAL (I.E. CORRECTED) VERSION OF THE WHITE PAPER BY NEXT BAG.