CONFIDENTIAL
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CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO DESKBY 12010OZ PEKING
TELNO 717
OF 11095OZ SEP 92
AND TO DESKBY 12010OZ HONG KONG
INFO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG
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YOUR TELNO 1255 AND HONG KONG TELNO 2281: CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS: HANDLING THE
1. THANK YOU FOR THESE SUGGESTIONS.
HONG KONG CHINESE
2. WE AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE WORTH AMENDING THE FIRST TIRET OF THE AMBASSADOR'S SPEAKING NOTE TO AVOID ANY POSSIBLE AMBIGUITY ABOUT WHETHER THE TROIKA MIGHT DISCUSS HONG KONG. HOWEVER WE THINK THAT A REFERENCE TO ''INTERNATIONAL AND OTHER' '' ISSUES WOULD SUFFER FROM THE SAME AMBIGUITY. DELETING ''AND OTHER'' WOULD NOT MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE TROIKA TO RAISE HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES ON THE DAY - OR FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO DO SO BILATERALLY, SHOULD HE SO DECIDE. WE HAVE ALSO AMENDED ''FULLY'' TO ''PRIMARILY TO LEAVE OPEN MORE CLEARLY THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE MAY WISH TO RAISE INTERNATIONAL ISSUES LEFT OVER FROM THE TROIKA MEETING OR NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THE TROIKA MEETING (EG P5 ISSUES).
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3. FOR THE THIRD TIRET WE HAVE CONCLUDED THAT WE SHOULD PREFER TO STICK TO OUR ORIGINAL DRAFT. THERE WILL AFTER ALL BE IN THE GOVERNOR'S LEGCO ADDRESS SOME POINTS WHICH DO NOT/NOT RELATE TO CONVERGENCE IN 1997 SO FAR AS WE ARE CONCERNED (FOR EXAMPLE THE CREATION OF A GOVERNMENT BUSINESS COMMITTEE) AND ON WHICH WE DO NOT PROPOSE TO CONSULT THE CHINESE. THE QUALIFIED FO SPEAKING NOTE IS ALREADY FAMILIAR TO THE CHINESE.
14 OUR
4. AS THE GOVERNOR IS ALREADY AWARE, THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAS NOW GIVEN FULLER CONSIDERATION TO THE QUESTION OF PARTICIPATION IN THE NEW YORK MEETING. HE WOULD PREFER TO DECIDE AT THE TIME WHICH OF THE OFFICIALS WHO WILL BE WITH HIM IN NEW YORK (GALSWORTHY, SZE AND HUM) SHOULD ACTUALLY BE PRESENT AT HIS MEETING WITH QIAN. IN THE LIGHT OF THIS WE THINK WE HAVE ALREADY SAID ENOUGH TO THE CHINESE: WE KNOW MOREOVER THAT THEY WILL BE FIELDING A SATISFACTORY TEAM OF THEIR OWN.
5. MIFT CONTAINS THE DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE, AMENDED IN THE LIGHT OF
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