TNAG-1084-FCO40-1334-Implications-for-Hong-Kong-of-changes-in-the-British-nationa-1981 — Page 62

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Argument

5.

Other Dependent Territories can be expected to make demands

for equivalent treatment if the amendment is carried. The simplest

way to forestall this would be for the Government to announce quickly

that they intended to move the reversal of the amendment in the Lords

or in the Commons and were confident of succeeding. However, this

may not be considered practicable in parliamentary terms and it seems

most likely that the Government would wait until the autumn in order

to see how the parliamentary situation developed. But we should not

wait until then before saying something to the dependencies if we are

to prevent them from getting locked into extreme demands for the

Government could not give similar treatment to all the dependencies.

The attached draft is the minimum that might serve as a holding

operation.

6.

See 1317

It will not of course prevent some strain in our relations

and we shall come under pressure, particularly from Hong Kong.

Leading figures in Hong Kong would see HMG's eventual reaction as

indicator of their political attitude towards the Territory at a time

when UK/Hong Kong relations are already strained against the back-

ground of uncertainty about the future. There is already irritation

over preferential treatment of the EC in the context of fees for

Overseas students. It is relevant that Sir S Y Chung, the Senior

Unofficial Member of the Hong Kong Executive Council, will be in the

United Kingdom from 18 July for the Royal Wedding and will be lunching

with Mr Ridley on 28 July.

7.

If HMG do in the end decide that the amendment cannot be

reversed, the pressure from the other dependencies would immediately

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