CONFIDENTIAL
HKK odol
INDEX
No
2 / MAY 1978
OFINCER
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Action
RY
London SW1A 2AH
arin Ten 22 May 1978
Lord Greenhill of Harrow GCIIC OBE
30 Gresham Street
Reg sent Pl. send copies
Denn Danis.
(
HONG KONG/CHINESE RELATIONS
No Thompson
(can you please contion.
I both better
that this has been duly
22/5 trays, comps copied to Governor 1K)
R 2315
to the you. with for
I am sorry I have taken so long to reply to your letter of 28 April about the exchange between one of your people and the Bank of China's senior management over the future of Hong Kong. The Departments were in fact particularly interested to see the specific references to 1997 and to the long-term future for investments in Hong Kong.
The Chinese have long made it clear that the status of
Over the past Hong Kong is not an immediate problem.
year or so they have given a number of assurances that make it plain they have no intention of upsetting business confidence. But while the present arrangement suits them well for the time being, no-one can be quite certain how they envisage Hong Kong/Chinese relations developing in the more distant future. It is therefore interesting that, as the conversation recorded in your letter clearly showed, they are now beginning to drop hints that investment in Hong Kong even in the longer term can be considered a safe risk.
I have passed a copy of your letter to lurray MacLehose. I am sure he will take note of the comments on the Government's land policies as well as the nice things you said about his talk to the Royal Society for Asian Affairs.
Youn
DF Murray
CONFIDENTIAL
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