SECRET
нка 23311
SECRET
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97
160765
MDHIAN 6320
TOP COPY Q DIST?
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 11120OZ FCO
TELNO 759
OF 1107OOZ MARCH 92
INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING, UKREP JLG HONG KONG
89
YOUR TELNOS 462-463: HMOCS: BRIEFING THE CHINESE
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1. WE HAVE DISCUSSED TURS WITH UKREP JLG AND THE FOLLOWING INCORPORATES THEIR COMMENTS. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR RE- DRAFT, WHICH WE THINK IS GREATLY IMPROVED. WE HAVE ONLY SOME COMMENTS OF DETAIL, AS FOLLOWS:
(I) RE-WORD YOUR PARA 5(A): QUOTE HMG SHOULD ENSURE THAT ALL HMOCS OFFICERS ARE COMPENSATED FOR THE LOSS OF THEIR HMOCS STATUS AND THE AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE WHICH THAT ENTAILS. UNQUOTE.
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(II) PARA 5(C): WE ASSUME THAT THE WORDS QUOTE IN LINE WITH UK INFLATION UNQUOTE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTALLY DROPPED AFTER QUOTE
ADJUSTED UNQUOTE.
(III) WE THINK WE NEED TO REINSTATE IN PARA 6 THE ORIGINAL WORDING EXPLAINING THAT POINT 5(B) HAS ALREADY BEEN CATERED FOR IN THE JOINT DECLARATION, SO THAT THE CHINESE WILL NOT THINK THAT WE PROPOSE TO RAISE IT AS A NEW POINT. WE SHOULD THEREFORE
INSERT AFTER QUOTE TAKING TIME UNQUOTE: QUOTE SOME ASPECTS OF THE NORMAL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN COVERED BY THE JOINT DECLARATION AND BASIC LAW (IE, POINT (B) ABOVE). UNQUOTE.
(IV) IN PARA 4, WE SUGGEST QUOTE ABOUT 400 ARE LIKELY TO STILL BE IN SERVICE IN 1997 UNQUOTE. GIVEN POSSIBLE EARLY RETIREMENTS AND THE LIMITED COMPENSATION SCHEME, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT LESS THAN 400 WILL STILL BE SERVING IN 1997.
(V)
WE SUGGEST SLIGHTLY EXPANDING THE CENTRAL SECTION OF PARA 7 TO MAKE THE IMPLICATIONS CLEARER FOR THE CHINESE, AS FOLLOWS: QUOTE ... BY THE SUCCESSOR GOVERNMENT. IN THE CASE OF HONG KONG, WE WISH TO AVOID ENCOURAGING EARLY RETIREMENTS AMONG HMOCS OFFICERS WHICH MIGHT BE DISRUPTIVE FOR HONG KONG AT THE TIME OF TRANSITION. WE THEREFORE INTEND THAT THE COMPENSATION
SCHEME WILL BE CAST AS BOTH A COMPENSATION AND AN INCENTIVE
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