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Kong may be in our overall interest.
11.
Two of these topics, nationality and the effect on Hong
Kong of British alignment with the Community's Generaliseḍ
Scheme of Preferences, are immediate and will have to be
considered by Ministers within the next few days. The Governor
is, however, anxious that we should not put the overall situation
to Ministers prematurely, or imply that the state of our
relations with Hong Kong is very serious. He hopes to discuss
with the Secretary of State the timing of any overall Ministerial
consideration, in the light particularly of the position on the
death penalty.
LINE TO TAKE
12. The Governor accepts that the timing of a paper for Ministers
must be decided in London. Decisions on the nationality question
and on the Community's GSP cannot wait. If the overall effect
on Hong Kong of decisions on all these questions is not considered
from the beginning it is likely that Ministers not in the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office will pay this effect little heed in
considering individual proposals.
We would be glad of his help
on the form which a paper for Ministers might take, but believe
that we should not delay.
Hong Kong & Indian Ocean Department
13 September 1973
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