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CALL ON THE SECRETARY OF STATE BY SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE 9.75 AM ON 14 SEPTEMBER
‡y You already have copies of the briefe prepared for the
talks between Mr Royle and Sir Murray MacLehose. I attach a
copy of the draft record of these talks. The final record will
be substituted if it is approved before 14 September.
2. Sir Murray MacLehose hopes to discuss three subjects with
the Secretary of State; the constitutional relationship between
Britain and Hong Kong; the death penalty; and the effect on our
interests in Hong Kong of the current complex of problems.
CONSTITUTIONAL RELATIONSHIP
3. Mr Royle has discussed with Sir Murray the possibility of
constitutional changes, for example to introduce an elected
element in the Hong Kong legislature.
4. We concluded that an elected majority was impossible because
of our relations with China, and had anyway proved in other
dependent territories to be unworkable except in the immediate
run-up to independence.
5. The Chinese Government might acquiesce in an elected
minority in Hong Kong's LegCo. This might make it easier for
Parliament to accept Hong Kong's right to take its own decisions
on, for example, the death penalty. But major problems, for
example, sterling, nationality and relations with the EEC, would
remain. An elected minority would increase Hong Kong's expec-
tation of getting its own way, without making it more likely
that we would permit this. Moreover the composition of an
It would inevitably
/divide
elected element would be unpredictable.
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