HKB 010/14
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2
DESK OFF INDEX
Sir John-Cotes
575 44/
STRY Dtl.
TRY
Taken
Letter to Cabind furly.
Cham/%
Foreign and Commonweath Office
King Charles St.
London SW1
Hurd (ow. Again)
To file
303 Richmond Road
Twickenham
Middlesex TW1 2NP
7 August 1993
Tr. Ham.
f.c. 10
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Lecar John LAST PAPER
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adult letter from me to the Cabinet shanty = rgh to he of Augment to the rus. fut 2 Like to hand this tomamos (Trendy) at labit
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Following our meeting yesterday I have made further amendments
to the two chapters in question. I enclose revised texts with this
letter. Amended passages are sidelined.
I think you will find that, out of 32 proposed changes, I
have accepted 25, i.e.some 78%. There remain a small number of cases
where I have not been able to make the changes you sought, or have not
been able to go the whole of the way. I set these out below, together
with explanatory comment:
Chapter 23, page 15. I have picked up your language about new men
and tactics. But I cannot omit the reference to confrontation. It is a
historical fact that confrontation with China occurred, also that
there was a striking difference in Sino-British relations pre and
post October 1992.
Chapter 24, page 6. This is a self-generated change, to meet the
criticism that the mandarins' idea of negotiation was to inquire what
the Chinese wanted and deliver, with suitable obeisances.
Chapter 24, page 7. I have corrected the suggestion that we
deliberately sought the course of confrontation. But the fact is
that, for whatever reason, we found ourselves in a situation where we
were trying new approaches and probing the limits of Chinese
tolerance.
Chapter 24, page 8. I have retained the phrase "if need be in
disregard of their understanding" because the Governor kept the
option of putting the matter to Legco for decision if a satisfactory
answer could not be obtained from the Chinese.
Chapter 24, page 11. I keep the reference to a "drawing back on
both sides", because the Governor did not go ahead with the
threatened legislation. He gazetted but did not go further. By the