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cf cur 'secret talks' with the Chinese;
though it should be
more defensible in this case, as the question of fixing territorial boundaries is largely one of sovereignty.
14.
On balance, however, it will be easier to answer the questions that arise if we change the legal boundary than those
If we do not, either we will have to which arise if we do not.
issue ambiguous instructions to the Police or we will risk
exposing ourselves to charges of abrogating our responsibilities
The consequences of either of these would be under the law. harder to live with than accusations that we had unilaterally ceded territory and obtained only a non-binding undertaking in
return.
Next steps
15.
We owe the FCO a definitive statement of our view on this question. After any necessary further discussion with them, we will need to address the issues in an ExCo paper before the next round of talks with Guangdong.
Political Adviser's office 27 April 1993
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4.