NOTE FOR FILE
SECRET
HKB 027/4
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
04 AUG 1993
CESY OFFICER
INDEX
PA
dOVERNOR
REGISTRY
Action Taker
CALL ON SIR J COLES BY THE GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG, 29 JULY
Present
Sir J Coles
Mr Hum
Mr Morris, HKD
1.
The Governor
Mr Martin Dinham
The meeting covered the following main points:
92
HMOCS
2. The Governor had discussed the issue with the Secretary of
State who was under no illusions that the current Treasury
package could be sold to HMOCS members in Hong Kong. Were the
Cabinet to impose such a settlement the Governor would be bound to oppose it publicly.
3.
So
The Governor thought that it would not be possible to
defend the package with a safeguard at less than HK$16:£1.
there was no point exploring with Treasury officials the
possibility that the Chief Secretary might agree to the SPOS amendment if we accepted a sterling safeguard at a lower rate.
He recognised that there was an element of crying wolf
involved but inevitably there would be public trouble with
HMOCS members if HMG did not settle this issue honourably.
was agreed to await the outcome of the Secretary of State's
meeting with Mr Portillo in September.
Nationality Issues
4.
It
The Governor thought the Home Office had handled the
question of ethnic minorities/an assurance for ethnic Chinese
after 1997 very badly indeed. The only defensible position
for HMG was that set out by Sir Geoffrey Howe to the FAC in 1989. It was essential that this point was made by a British
Minister soon. The Governor thought the Hong Kong community
assumed that Britain would renege on the wider assurance.
HMG
recordgov.29.MORRIS
JEB
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