TNAG-1167-FCO40-1447-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 11

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DSR 11 (Revised)

DRAFT:

FROM:

SECRET

minut/letter/teleletter/despatch/nate

Issued@(105

of

рес

TYPE: Draft/Final 1+

Reference

SECRETARY OF STATE

DEPARTMENT:

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

TO:

Top Secret

PRIME MINISTER

Secret

Confidential

Restricted

Unclassified

PRIVACY MARKING

.........................In Confidence

1.

CAVEAT.........

TEL. NO:

Your Reference

Copies to:

SUBJECT: FUTURE OF HONG KONG

MICK 040/1

(202) 1981

When you agreed to the ideas in my minute of 15

December 1981 about your visit to China, Hong Kong and

Japan and about Hong Kong's future, you asked for further

thoughts after Humphrey Akins' visit to Peking.

Enclosures-flag(s)...........

2. One of the purposes of this visit was to establish

whether there had been any shifts in Chinese thinking

since we last tackled them. From the conversations

Humphrey Atkins had with Premier Zhao and Vice Premier

Ji, it is clear that while the Chinese have not moved

on essentials, they recognise the existence of the

problem as well as the need for it to be solved before

1997. They have said they want to see Hong Kong remain

a free port and a commercial and financial centre.

They have also said that in due course they would

discuss with us taking local Hong Kong opinion into

account.

SECRET

/3.