DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
4.
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PRIVACY MARKING
Against this background, the British Government
resolved to remove the uncertainty imposed by the 1997
deadline. The visit of the Prime Minister to China in
1982 provided an appropriate opportunity to open
discussions with the Chinese Government about Hong Kong's
future. As a result of that visit, the two sides agreed
that talks would begin "with the common aim of
maintaining the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong".
In Confidence
II. The negotiation of the Joint Declaration
5. The negotiations lasted two years, from September
1982 to September 1984, when the documents comprising the
Agreement were initialled. The negotiations fell into
two phases: an initial phase, conducted through the
British Embassy in Peking; and a second phase of formal
talks, which began in July 1983 and consisted of 22
rounds of negotiations over 14 months, supplemented by
informal contacts, and in the final four months by
full-time discussion of draft texts tabled by the two
sides. The Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, was
closely involved at every stage in the second phase
of the talks and intervened personally at several
important points in the negotiations.
6. The negotiations were complex and difficult. The
British side initially argued hard for the retention of
British administration in Hong Kong after 1997 as the
surest way of maintaining the prosperity and stability of