SECRET
FM FCO
TO
IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
TELNO 185
OF 21153OZ JANUARY 88
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING
SECRET
172665
MDHOAN 7137
HKB C40/2
PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM PAUL, HKD
DEBATE ON HONG KONG: CHINA'S POSITION ON DIRECT ELECTIONS
1.
I AM SURE THAT YOU WILL HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY THE EXTENT TO
WHICH MPS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE HOUSE APPEARED TO BE UNDER A
MISAPPREHENSION ABOUT THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION ON DIRECT ELECTIONS IN HONG KONG. IN PARTICULAR, YOU MAY HAVE BEEN
MYSTIFIED BY REFERENCES MADE BY MR KAUFMAN TO A BRIEFING WHICH HE
AND HIS PARTY COLLEAGUES HAD RECEIVED FROM A MEMBER OF THE CHINESE EMBASSY, AND HIS STATEMENT THAT HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN
INFLUENCED IN FAVOUR OF DELAY TO 1991 IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR THE
QUOTE CLEAR STATEMENT FROM THE CHINESE THAT THEY ARE IN FAVOUR OF
DIRECT ELECTIONS UNQUOTE. KAUFMAN CLAIMED THAT ON THE QUESTION
OF THE INTRODUCTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS FOR 1991 THE EMBASSY
REPRESENTATIVE WAS QUOTE CAREFUL TO EXPRESS NO VIEW UNQUOTE.
MIGHT APPRECIATE A LITTLE BACKGROUND.
2.
THE BRIEFING REFERRED TO BY MR KAUFMAN WAS GIVEN BY ZHANG YOUYUN (WHO STOOD IN FOR THE AMBASSADOR, WHO WAS ILL) ON 18 JANUARY. AT A DINNER GIVEN AT THE
AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE
YOU
DEBATE AT WHICH ROBIN MCLAREN WAS PRESENT, ZHANG YOUYUN WAS
INDIGNANT AT THE WAY SHE HAD BEEN QUOTE MISQUOTED AND QUOTED OUT
OF CONTEXT UNQUOTE BY OPPOSITION MEMBERS AND MAINTAINED THAT SHE
HAD SET OUT THE CHINESE POSITION IN A WAY WHICH LEFT NO ROOM FOR
MISUNDERSTANDING. SHE TOLD MCLAREN THAT SHE HAD SPOKEN AFTER THE DEBATE TO 3 LABOUR MEMBERS (FOULKES, BRAY AND FAULDS) WHO HAD
AGREED THAT SHE HAD INDEED SET OUT THE CHINESE POSITION CLEARLY AT HER BRIEFING AND THAT THIS HAD NOT COME ACROSS IN KAUFMAN'S
SPEECH. BRAY HAD REFLECTED THE CHINESE POSITION IN HIS OWN
SPEECH (WHILE NEVERTHELESS ARGUING THAT DIRECT ELECTIONS SHOULD BE INTRODUCED IN 1988). FOULKES HAD PROMISED TO DO WHAT HE COULD
QUOTE TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT UNQUOTE (ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT CLEAR TO MRS ZHANG WHAT HE HAD IN MIND). MRS ZHANG WAS
CONSIDERING WRITING TO KAUFMAN TO MAKE THE CHINESE POSITION
CLEAR.
PAGE
SECRET
1
THIS IS A COPY THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
CLOSED UNDER
FOI EXEMPTION NO. 27.1.