CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
HKC340/1
RECEIVE
:Y
25 APR 1990 TO
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
DESK OFF
TELNO 1332
INDEX
OF 230959Z APRIL 90-
C
ken
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
OPY
131
024013
MDHIAN 7764
2314
PEKING, PLEASE PASS TO JLG TEAM
UK NATIONALITY PACKAGE: CHINESE RESPONSE
IN TODAY'S TA KUNG PAO, TONG YUK-HON SAID THAT APART FROM AREAS LIKE RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN PASSPORTS, RIGHT TO CONSULAR PROTECTION AND ENTRY AND EXIT PROCEDURES, THE ''APPROPRIATE MEASURES'' THAT THE CHINESE SIDE REFERRED TO IN THEIR PRESS STATEMENT MADE IN
RESPONSE TO THE SECOND READING OF THE BRITISH NATIONALITY BILL 1990
MIGHT COMPRISE THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS:
(A) TO COUNTER THE DIVISIVE EFFECTS OF THE BILL, THE CHINESE
SIDE WOULD PROMOTE UNITY AMONG HONG KONG PEOPLE:
(B)
(C)
2.
AS THE BILL WOULD ACCELERATE THE BRAIN DRAIN, THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD TAKE MEASURES ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO STAY: AND
IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THE POLICY OF ''HONG KONG PEOPLE RULING
HONG KONG
THE CHINESE SIDE WOULD ABORT THE BILL'S LONG TERM AIM OF ''BRITISH RULING HONG KONG''.
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TONG SAID THAT THESE ELEMENTS IMPLIED THAT THE APPROPRIATE MEASURES WOULD GO BEYOND THE QUESTIONS OF NATIONALITY AND RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UK.
3.
THE ARTICLE ALSO CONTAINED A VEILED THREAT THAT THE FINAL DECISION MAKING POWER WAS IN THE HANDS OF THE CHINESE SIDE. ANYTHING WHICH WAS INCONSISTENT WITH THE LETTER AND SPIRIT OF THE JD COULD BE UNDONE. THE CRUX OF THE MATTER, ACCORDING TO TONG, WAS TO MAKE PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATION BY HAVING THE BRITISH WRONGDOINGS EXPOSED AT THIS TIME. ONCE THIS WAS DONE, THERE WAS NO NEED TO ANNOUNCE AS A MATTER OF URGENCY THE CONCRETE MEASURES TO BE TAKEN TO COUNTER THE EFFECTS OF THE BILL.
4.
THE ARTICLE FOLLOWS BY FAX.
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