RESTRICTED
HKD $26/13.
SEP
FROM: N J Cox
copied to ken
112
Hong Kong Department
Mr Davies, FED
DATE:
30 August 1991
CC:
Private Secretary
PS/Lord Caithness
Mr Burns o/r
Mr Cornish, News Dept
PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA AND HONG KONG: PRESS LINE
1. Thank you for copying to me your submission of
29 August. I know that you will have wanted to minimize amendments to Sir P Cradock's drafts, but I am sorry that you did not feel able to include our suggestion for a change to his line in Section II about "Why are you always giving way to China?":
"But it is no good having a major quarrel with China over Hong Kong."
We have suggested amending this to:
"But it is no good just having quarrels with China over Hong Kong",
which is much closer to the line the Secretary of State has
taken:
"Hong Kong could rightly think that it has been ill-served by us if we chose to spend the next six years in bickering and confrontation with China so that 1997 came
a dramatic shock for which no serious preparation had been
REXADX/1
CC
RESTRICTED