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possibly Passieffe a reluctance by Pegfdgf 203 resume possession. These problems may be manageable when the time is ripe to discuss the whole issue with China and provided China can be persuaded of the need for a jointly agreed policy as to what is to be done for the future. Any premature move, however, might well be disastrous.
External
6.
The principal factor in Hong Kong's external affairs is the attitude of China which holds the key to her future. The Chinese position was publicly defined by the Chinese Permanent Representative to
the United Nations in a letter to the Chairman of the
Committee of 24 dated 8 March 1972:
11
The
As is known to all, the questions of Hong Kong and Macau belong to the category of questions resulting from the series of unequal treaties left over by history, treaties which the imperialists imposed on China. Hong Kong and Macau are part of Chinese territory occupied by the British and Portuguese authorities. settlement of the questions of Hong Kong and Macau is entirely within China's sovereign right and does not at all fall under the ordinary category of "colonial Territories". Consequently, they should not be included in the list of colonial Territories covered by the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. With regard to the questions of Hong Kong and Macau, the Chinese Government has consistently held that they should be settled in an appropriate way when conditions are ripe."
Privately Chinese leaders have let it be known that while a problem exists, it is for the next generation (or alternatively two or three generations) to solve. They have also said that there will need to be negotiations over the future of Hong Kong in due course and that meanwhile they will take no surprise
17.
action.
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386 D073815 140M 5/74 Cr.P.C. Gp.839/3
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