TNAG-0525-FCO40-620-Visit-of-UK-Members-of-Parliament-(Defence-and-External-Affa-1975 — Page 37

GRS 450A

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TO IMMEDIATE PEKING TELNO 833 OF 8 DECEMBER

HONG hồng

1. FCO CFFICIALS WILL BE GIVING ORAL EVIDENCE ON HONG KONG TO THE DEFENCE AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS SUB-COMMITTEE ON 9 DECEMBER. WE DO NOT AT PRESENT KNOW THE LINE OF QUESTIONING THE COMMITTEE WILL DE TAKING PUT WE EXPECT THAT THEY WILL ENQUIRE ABOUT FUTURE CHINESE INTENTIONS ON HONG KONG, MUCH OF OUR EVIDENCE WILL BE ON A CONFIDENTIAL BASIS BUT AS WE WILL BE PLACING OUR VIEWS ON THE RECORD FOR MIPS YOU MAY WISH TO COMMENT ON THE LINE WE PROPOSE TO TAKE, (IN WHICH CASE YOUR TELEGRAM SHOULD PE DESKBY 9.30 LONDON TIME). LINE IS AS FOLLOWS · (SIDELINE PASSAGES ARE CONFIDENTIAL) :

FOLLOWING SENTENCE UNDERLINED

IS THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG ISLAND, KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES ENTIRELY BOUND UP TOGETHER?

AS THE SUB-COMMITTEE WILL BE AWARE FROM THE IR BRIEFING IN HONG KONG, HONG KONG ISLAND WAS CEDED IN PERPETUITY TO BRITAIN BY THE TREATY OF NANKING IN 1842: AND THE KOWLOON PENINSULA AND STONECUTTERS

ISLAND CEDED IN PERPETUITY BY THE FIRST CONVENTION OF PEKING IN 1860. THE NEW TERRITORIES (INCLUDING NEW KOWLOON) WERE LEASED TO BRITAIN BY THE SECOND CONVENTION OF PEKING IN 1998 FOR A 99 YEAR

TERM.

THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAVE STATED PUBLICLY THAT THEY REGARD ALL THREE TREATIES AS UNEQUAL AND THAT HONG KONG IS PART OF CHINESE

TERRITORY.

(SIDELINED)

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE AT THIS STAGE TO FORECAST THE LIKELY ATTITUDES TO HONG KONG OF CHINESE GOVERNMENTS IN THE FUTURE, THEY HAVE TOLD US PRIVATELY THAT THEY ARE SATISFIED WITH THE PRESENT (NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED) STATUS QUO AND THAT THE PROBLEM OF HONG KONG IS FOR A FUTURE GENERATION TO SOLVE. HMG HAVE NO DOUBT AS TO THE LEGAL VALIDITY OF THE THREE TREATIES BUT CLEARLY THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

lis.

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