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Sir Murray MacLehose GBE KCMG KCVO Governor and Commander-in-Chief HONG KONG
Dear Aurray,
HONG KONG: PAPER ON THE FUTURE
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
27 January 1981
NICK crioll
see (20
RELLIVED IN REGISTRY NO. 51
29 JAN1981
DEAK OFFICER
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$1013
REGISTRY Action Taken
pcs 16/7
1 In paragraph 7 of my letter of 13 January to Percy Cradock about Hong Kong, I said that we were working on a paper on the long term future taking account of the need to focus particularly on how we might respond if the Chinese Government were to raise with us the question of sovereignty over Hong Kong or a Chinese Representative.
(HOA स
2 I now enclose a first draft which attempts to cover the overall problem but includes a substantial 'medium-term' section in which the points which Percy mentioned are dealt with. It is intended mainly as a background paper; although some conclusions are drawn, particularly on the medium-term, no recommendations on the long-term future are made. It is not meant as a detailed text book on the problem of individual land leases but to take this issue into account in examining the future as a whole. The draft includes comments by the Legal Adviser but he may wish to add to these later. Annex B is in draft. We will send it as soon as possible.
3
We intend to submit the paper to the Secretary of State before his Far East visit at the end of March as background for his briefing. The conclusions in the summary may thus need adjustment to take account of short-term considerations, and the summary as a whole will of course depend on the final form of the longer paper.
4 We are corresponding separately about what line should be taken when the Secretary of State visits China in April: and the paper is not intended to cover that.
I would be grateful for your comments and those of Percy Cradock as soon as you can let us have them.
5
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v3u 19.3.
NOTED
Edward Youde
CC:
bc:
Sir P Cradock KCMG
Mr Donald
Mr Watts, Legal Advisers
Mr McLaren
SECRET & PERSONAL
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