Mr Stewart
Mr Metro Cortazzi
Mele
CONFIDENTIAL
RECEIVED T
REGISTRY NO. 5.
29 SEP1976
(21)
LAKK OB/548/3
لها
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HONG KONG: GOVERNOR'S SPEECH TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL: REFERENCE TO CHINA
1. The Governor has asked for any comments on a draft passage on relations with China which he considers that he will have to cover in his statement at the opening of the new session of the Legislative Council on 6 October (Hong Kong telegram No 963, which supersedes telegram No 961). I have discussed with Mr Martin in FED. We agree that the Governor will not really be able to avoid some reference to China in his statement but that it should be as brief and anodyne as possible. The second text suggested by the Governor is an improvement on the first and, subject to the views of HM Embassy Peking, I see no objection to it. The first sentence might, however, bear improvement from the point of view of drafting. The second sentence, with its mention of "recent sad events" could be construed as a reference to Mao's death only and not, for example, to Chou En-Lai's. However, any amendment to refer to, for example, "a number of sad events" could be taken as covering the downfall of Teng Hsiao-p'ing, the earthquake etc and would be inappropriate. I therefore suggest that the second sentence in the Governor's draft should be left as it is.
2.
I submit a draft reply to Hong Kong's telegram.
27 September 1976
Cc: Mr Martin, FED
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We have
Д
FED concur.
F. Multis deilkis
D F Milton
Hong Kong Department
Peking Telegram
seen Peking
have now seen
WOOS" agreeing
tual- tie modified text is suitable. (Telegrum attached) I agree to killars suggested an endmalt. b. Berent
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