TNAG-0943-FCO40-1162-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1980 — Page 262

CONFIDENTIAL

DSR 11C

since. Zhou Enlai repeated the request during a conversation with the

British Chargé d'Affaires (Mr Denson) in February 1971. The question was

then pursued by Zhang Wenjin (Chang Wen-chin), head of the Western

European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with Sir John Addis

(March 1972); by Qiao Guanhua (Ch'iao Kuan-hua), a Vice-Minister of

Foreign Affairs, with Mr Royle, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (May 1972);

and by Ji Pengfei (Chi P'eng-fei), Foreign Minister, and Premier Zhou

Enlai with the Secretary of State, Sir Alec Douglas-Home (October-

November 1972). In each instance, the Chinese received the reply that the

British Government could not at present accede to the request.

78 The Secretary of State gave his reply when Ji Pengfei visited London

in 1973. During talks on 7 June, Ji began by re-stating the Chinese case

for official representation in Hong Kong. He proposed that a Chinese

representative in Hong Kong might be titled either a Representative of

Guangdong or a Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chinese were also willing to consider reciprocal representation of the

Hong Kong authorities in Guangzhou (Canton). The status of Hong Kong,

said Ji, was not in question.

•

The

That was a matter for the future. The

Chinese regarded the appointment of an official representative in

Hong Kong as an aspect of the development of their relations between

Britain and China. Ji explained that Zhou Enlai had raised the matter

-because of the Nationalist Government's appointment of a Special

Commissioner for Guangdong and Guangxi to Hong Kong. He could not see why

the CPG could not send a Commissioner, especially now that relations were

CONFIDENTIAL

/so

Dd 0532000 400 M 5/78 HMSO Brucknell