CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO PRIORITY HONG KONG
TELNO 711
OF 211045Z MARCH 89
CONFIDENTIAL
INFO ROUTINE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
(2)
YOUR TELNO 819: EXTRADITION: WAY FORWARD
HKD 384/3
Q2
060666
MDLOAN 3766
TOP COPY O NIST
NC 28
28/3
1. THANK YOU FOR THE FURTHER THOUGHTS IN TUR. AS YOU SAY IN PARA 15, IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS NOW NOT MUCH BETWEEN US.
2.
OUR PRIMARY CONCERN IN COMMENTING ON THE EARLIER PAPERS WAS TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE NOT/NOT DRAFTED IN A PROVOCATIVE WAY
WHICH GIVES THE IMPRESSION THAT WE DOUBT CHINESE GOOD FAITH. THERE MAY STILL BE PROBLEMS OF THAT NATURE WITH SOME ELEMENTS OF THE REVISIONS YOU PROPOSE. SECONDLY, WE WONDER WHETHER SOME OF YOUR EXPECTATIONS ABOUT CHINESE PROMPTNESS IN DEALING WITH REQUESTS (AND THE HANDLING OF REQUESTS THROUGH DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS) ARE REALISTIC (E.G. YOUR PARA 10 (II)). WE SUSPECT THAT, WHATEVER FORMAL AGREEMENTS WE REACH IN THE JLG, THE DEAD WEIGHT OF CHINESE BUREAUCRACY IS QUITE LIKELY TO SLOW THINGS DOWN
IN PRACTICE.
3. APART FROM THE COMMENTS BELOW, WE ARE NEVETHELESS CONTENT WITH YOUR THOUGHTS IN TUR:
(A) PARAS 2 AND 3: WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE WORDING. WE RESERVE COMMENT ON PARA 2 IN THE MEANTIME.
(B) PARA 4: WE REMAIN OF THE VIEW THAT IF WE ARE ALREADY AWARE OF OTHER ISSUES WHICH WILL NEED TO BE TACKLED, WE SHOULD ALERT THE CHINESE TO THEM. THIS COULD BE DONE IN GENERAL TERMS, WITH AN INDICATION THAT OUR THINKING HAS NOT YET FIRMED UP.
(C) PARA 8(III): IN THE LIGHT OF OUR DISCUSSIONS SO FAR, WHERE THERE HAS BEEN NO SUGGESTION THAT THE CHINESE WISH TO SEEK EARLIER INVOLVEMENT OR THE RIGHT TO ISSUE INSTRUCTIONS IN ANCILLARY MATTERS, WE REMAIN OF THE VIEW THAT THE OPENING OF PARA 8 OF ANNEX A IS SUPERFLUOUS.
(D) PARA ·8 (V) : GIVEN THAT MANY MATTERS HERE ARE DEALT WITH IN THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S NAME WITHOUT HIM BEING PERSONALLY CONSULTED, AND THAT THE GOVERNOR'S POWERS IN A WIDE RANGE OF AREAS ARE DELEGATED TO MORE JUNIOR OFFICIALS, WE CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT YOUR PROPOSAL IS UNREALISTIC. WHY SHOULD WE EXPECT MORE OF THE CHINESE THAN PRESENTLY OBTAINS?
(E) PARA 12: WE REMAIN OF THE VIEW AS IN PARA 22 OF OUR TELNO 819. THE SCENARIO YOU ENVISAGE STRIKES US AS UNLIKELY IN THE
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