PM/90/02
PRIME MINISTER
SECRET
HKB 012
012/1
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
08 JAN 1990
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
RY
ابع
Sei
1.
Hong Kong; Future Constitutional Development
I have been giving further thought to Hong Kong's future constitutional development and the way we handle the Chinese. The Governor of Hong Kong's forthcoming visit to Peking (10-12 January) is probably our last major opportunity to press the Chinese for improvements
in the Basic Law affecting Hong Kong's future political
structure. In the light of the outcome of this visit and
after my own visit to Hong Kong (13-16 January), we shall
need to take a decision about the number of directly
elected seats to be introduced in 1991.
2.
Over coming years we shall not find it easy to
strike the right balance in taking decisions about Hong Kong. It would be absurd and damaging to our own and
Hong Kong's interests to engage the Chinese in a series
of confrontations if that can be avoided; it would be
equally damaging, both domestically and in Hong Kong,
simply to fall in line with what the Chinese want. We
have to preserve our authority and that means showing
that we continue to judge matters on their merits. It is
important for Hong Kong that the decisions which we take before 1997 in areas which are our responsibility should
be seen to be ours and ours alone. At the same time we
/must
SECRET
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