TNAG-1097-FCO40-1347-Chinese-visa-office-in-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 69

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

GR 250

SECRET

Hiere 349/1

RELATED SETRY NO. 51

'2

A P1':.1981

DESK OFFICER

PA

FM PEKIND5607002 VOL 81 TO PRIORITY FCO & 188

REGISTR Action Taken

FT

7. mint

Mr. Friar

тор ceply

I would be grateful

to have the entred

fas ald

TELNO 23 OF 30 JULY

L

RPTD INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG.

coppies with

•MK TELNO 709 TO YOU: CHINESE VISA OFFICE

you

бы

59

58

1. THE MAIN CHINESE AIM IS TO GET THE VISA OFFICE ESTABLISHED! AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND TO THIS END THEY ARE MAKING A SIGNIFICANT CLI MB-DOWN. THE CONSEQUENCES OF A REFUSAL OF THEIR PROPOSAL COULD BE QUITE SERIOUS.

2. WHILST THE OUTSTANDING POINTS MAY BE PUT TO ONE SIDE FOR THE TIME BEING UNDER THE CHINESE PROPOSAL, THEY WOULD NOT, I THINK, BE FORGOTTEN. THE CHINESE DRAFT MEMORANDUM STATES THAT TALKS SHOULD CONTINUE PENDING A ''PROPER'' SETTLEMENT (THE WORD USED IN THE CHINESE LANGUAGE DRAFT, TUOSHAN, PERHAPS TRANSLATES MORE CORRECTLY AS **APPROPRIATE''). QUITE HOW HARD THE CHINESE WOULD PURSUE THEIR OUTSTANDING REQUESTS WOULD NO DOUBT DEPEND INTER ALIA ON THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF ANGLO-CHINESE RELATIONS. THEY MIGHT NOT PRESS HARD IN THE SHORT TERM BUT THE POTENTIAL BONE OF CONTENTION WOULD BE THERE AND COULD BECOME IRRITATING.

3. IT MIGHT THEREFORE BECOME NECESSARY IN THE MEDIUM-TERM FUTURE TO CONTEMPLATE LEGISLATION AS ENVISAGED IN PA'S LETTER OF 4 MAY TO CLIFT. AS SEEN FROM HERE, IT COULD BE HOPED THAT THE IDEA OF LEGISLATION MIGHT BE LESS CONTROVERSIAL AFTER THE VISA OFFICE HAS BEEN IN OPERATION FOR SOM TIME AND THE CIRCUMSCRIBED NATURE OF

ITS FUNCTIONS HAS BEEN VERIFIED IN HONG KONG,

4. 1 SEE THE CHINESE PROPOSAL AS, AT THE VERY LEAST, A MEANS OF DELAYING THE NEED TO LEGISLATE AND POSSIBLILY TO MAKE SUCH LEGISLATION AN EASIER TASK. IT REMAINS JUST POSSIBLE, HOWEVER, THAT WE MIGHT GET AWAY WITHOUR LEGISLATING AT ALL.

ATKINSON

17

see

160

Bu noted

with on

for 13/d

LIMITED

AKGD (4)

FED

MR DONALD

THIS TELEGRAM WAS NOT ADVANCED

Для воду

ре

Kej pl

32

3117

SECRET

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