SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret
Secret
DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)
events. Indeed, as China grapples with increasingly
serious economic problems at home, Hong Kong is more
important to it than ever.
Confidential
Restricted
Unclassified
PRIVACY MARKING
In Confidence
These fundamental perceptions form the bedrock of
our thinking as we set out to rebuild confidence. That
is why the Joint Declaration remains the central element
in our work to safeguard Hong Kong's future. But this
does not mean that we can all sit back. We always
recognised that the Joint Declaration was not the end of
the story but the beginning. Since 1985 we have been
engaged in a continuous process of negotiation with the
Chinese to ensure that the provisions of the Joint
Declaration will be fully implemented.
A vast amount of
hard work has already been done on this. Now, after
Tiananmen, we shall be working all the harder to ensure
that Hong Kong's future is as secure as the letter and
spirit of the Joint Declaration intend.
But first, China must act to restore faith in its
commitment to its international obligations under the
Joint Declaration. The Chinese have said publicly, and
have assured us privately too, that their policy towards
Hong Kong will not be affected by the recent events and
that they, like we, remain committed to the Joint
Declaration.
We naturally welcome that. But words alone
will not be enough. We look to the Chinese authorities
to demonstrate by their actions that they mean what they
say. We shall bring home to the Chinese the immense
damage which their recent policies have inflicted on Hong