TNAG-1159-FCO40-1439-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Hong-Kong--1982 — Page 90

108

GR 300

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 270948Z JUL 82

TO IMMEDIATE FC O

*

TELEGRAM NUMBER 817 OF 27 JULY

103

YOUR TELEGRAM 576 : PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT.

HKK

02615

کنا

15m 2817

See127

THE FOLLOWING ARE SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS TO THE DRAFT SPEECH FOR MRS. THATCHER'S ADDRESS TO THE BUSINESSMEN'S LUNCH IN HONG KONG,

VIZ:

PARAGRAPH 1: NO CHANGES.

PARAGRAPH 2: AMEND THE FIRST SENTENCE AS FOLLOWS: ''THERE HAVE, OF

COURSE, BEEN CHANGES SINCE I WAS LAST HERE IN 1977

THE NEW TOWNS

.....

"

IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY AND, VERY SIGNIFICANTLY, HONG KONG HAS ACQUIRED A NEW DIMENSION AS A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE. HONG KONG HAS BECOME PARAGRAPH 3: AMEND THE FIRST SENTENCE AS FOLLOWS: ''DURING THIS TIME HONG KONG HAS HAD TO COPE WITH MANY DIFFICULTIES. BUT I AM IMPRESSED .....

•

PARAGRAPH 3: AMEND THE LAST SENTENCE AS FOLLOWS: ''WHEN ONE CONSIDERS THAT WITH AN AREA OF SOME ONLY 400 SQUARE MILES HONG KONG HAD A GDP IN 1981 OF OVER £12,000 MILLION PARAGRAPH 4: AMEND THE SECOND SENTENCE AFTER THE COLON TO READ AS

FOLLOWS : ''IN ITS EFFORTS TO PROVIDE HOMES FOR ITS RAPIDLY GROWING POPULATION,,

TO EXPAND HEALTH SERVICES .....

•

PARAGRAPH 4: FOR THE WORD ''EASY'' IN THE THIRD SENTENCE BEGINNING

''THIS IS PERHAPS

SUBSTITUTE THE WORD ''COMMON'', PARAGRAPH 5: AMEND TO READ AS FOLLOWS: ''I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REITERATE TO YOU, THE COMMERCIAL LEADERS OF THE TERRITORY, HOW THOROUGHLY COMMITTED TO HONG KONG THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ARE. IF PEOPLE SAY THAT HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT DO NOT

HAVE THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG AT HEART THEN I TELL THEM NOW THAT THEY ARE WRONG. THERE MAY SOMETIMES BE DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN US - THERE ARE IN ANY RELATIONSHIPS HOWEVER CLOSE – BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT OUR AIM IS TO PRESERVE HONG KONG'S PROSPERITY AND STABILITY. TO THIS END, THE PEOPLE OF BRITAIN AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG MUST WORK TOGETHER TO DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US’’.

2. I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO LEARN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WHETHER THE DATE FOR THIS LUNCH (1.E. SEPTEMBER 27TH) IS CONFIRMED.

3. PLEASE PASS A COPY OF THIS TELEGRAM TO SIR E.

E. YOUDE.

HADDON-CAVE

MINIMA L

HK GD FED

CONFIDENTIAL

due Plan 28/7

0

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