TNAG-0580-FCO40-713-UK-policy-on-status-of-Hong-Kong-1976 — Page 107

Mr Martin, FED

CONFIDENTIAL

Reference....tuo

Ch/H.K

Miss Best Th

Jo see.

CHINA/HONG KONG

1. Please refer to Mr Donald's letter to you, reference FCR 1/4731/ III, of 24 September 1975. I am afraid it has taken a little longer than I expected to be able to give you a reply to the question you posed over the telephone.

•

Thus,

2. The clearest expressions of China's policy on Hong Kong were made during Sir Alec Douglas Home's visit to China in 1972. during a meeting with the then Chinese Foreign Minister, Chi Peng- fei, held in Peking on 31 October 1972, Sir Alec was told that the Chinese were "not in a hurry to recover Hong Kong" Chi Peng-fei also said that "the settlement of the Hong Kong problem was a matter for the future" On 1 November 1972, Sir Alec met Chou En-lai. Chou En-lai said that India had taken back Goa without warning but that on the other hand China "had not taken over Macau". He went on to say that "Sir Alec Douglas Home would understand the Chinese attitude to international issues of this kind. The Chinese view was that such matters should be settled through negotiation and consultation." Later at the same meeting, Chou En-lai said that Hong Kong was "a matter left over by history" and that "the issue of Hong Kong was one which would be settled by negotiation. The Chinese Government would take no 'surprise action'. They would not take over the colony by force. There was no need to discuss this now. (Note: the above passages are taken from the official FCO record of the visit, PS/72/10 No. 32 and although they represent the sense of what was said, they may well not represent the exact words used.)

...

3. The following year, in 1973, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Chi Peng-fei, visited London. During talks with Sir Alec Douglas Home he said "the status of Hong Kong was not in question. That was a matter for the future". A careful search of our relevant files produced no more recent precise statement by the Chinese on the future of Hong Kong. However, when Mr Heath visited Peking in May 1974, Vice-Premier Teng Hsiao-p'ing said at a banquet on 27 May that there were still issues between China and the UK which would be "settled at an appropriate time". Our Embassy in Peking said that this was a clear reference to the question of Hong Kong.

13 October 1975

Малика

for

(J E Hoare)

Far Eastern Section Research Department

AANTRENOTAT