TNAG-0741-FCO40-945-Relations-between-China-and-Hong-Kong-1978 — Page 50

IMMEDIATE

COVER CAT A 6/5250

AM FCO 061651Z

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

AKK 2011..

APR 1973

30

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG (PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR FROM CORTAZZI

HONG KONG RELATIONS WITH CHINA,

OF APRIL

1. WHEN I MET JOHN KESWICK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEK HE TOLD

NE THAT KADOORIE WHO WOULD BE VISITING PEKING ON HIS WAY BACK

FROM LONDON WAS IN FAVOUR OF PROMOTING DISCUSSION WITH THE CHINESE

ABOUT HONK KONG'S LONG-TERM FUTURE. JOHN KESWICK SAID AND I AGREED

THAT OUR RELATIONS WITH THE CHINESE ON THIS ISSUE COULD BE SERIOUSLY COMPLICATED AND PREJUDICED IF KADOORIE MADE UNAUTHORISED

PROPOSALS.

2. 1 HAVE DISCUSSED THIS WITH DENYS BRAY WHO HAS SHOWN ME A LETTER WHICH KADOORIE WROTE TO HIS BROTHER JEREMY ON 22 MARCH. IN THIS

LETTER KADOORIE SAYS QUOTE

THE TIME HAS COME FOR SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO BE GIVEN TO HONG KONG'S FUTURE AS A FREE ZONE OF CHINA UNDER BRITISH MANAGEMENT AND ALL THOSE WHO HAVE OUR INTEREST AT HEART SHOULD ENDEAVOUR TO CREATE A MUTUALITY OF INTERESTS THUS PROVIDING A SMOOTH

TRANSITION INTO THE WORLD OF 2000. UNQUOTE

3. BRAY WILL BE LUNCHING WITH KADOORIE ON 14 APRIL AND COULD SOUND A NOTE OF WARNING IF YOU THOUGHT THIS DESIRABLE. ALTERNATIVELY, I COULD PERHAPS CALL ON KADOORIE DURING HIS STAY IN LONDON OR WE COULD ASK LORD GORONWY-ROBERTS, TO SPEAK TO HIM, YOU MAY HOWEVER THINK THAT THERE ARE BETTER WAYS OF DEALING WITH

THIS. BRAY DID NOT INDEED KNOW WHETHER KADOORIE HAD YET LEFT HONG KONG IF HE HAS NOT YOU MIGHT PREFER TO HAVE A WORD WITH HIM YOURSELF.

4. GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VIEWS ON HOW THIS SHOULD BEST BE HANDLED,

OVEN

FILES

HKFGD (5)

FE.D.

PS/LORD GURONWY RUBERTS.

MR CORTAZZ

MR MURRAY MR POSNETT

CONFIDENTIAL