TNAG-1167-FCO40-1447-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 114

布政司署

香港下亞畢道

HKR

040

***OUR REF.: (32) in TS 7/1162/46 VIII

* YOUR REF.:

50

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PG02614

M W Atkinson Esq MBE

PEKING

61A

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

Mili Quade

Mullank

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

I am

drafting

on their fi dlift to M Dinalda

12 February 1982 €

Jude.

I agree with for Mc Larens

Mr.

HKGD ti entr

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See 194

De's Michael,

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FUTURE OF HONG KONG

FCO

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I was interested to see Peking TelNo 89 to the and Bob Pierce's letter of 2 February which arrived shortly afterwards.

45A

2.

In saying that China hoped to resolve the problem of Hong Kong's future "so as to ensure a continued British presence" ZHONG Xidong was surely stepping a long way out of line. Though this may be what (if anything) the Chinese have in mind - and we hope very much that it is - no Chinese official has been prepared to say so since DENG set out the basic Chinese position in his meeting with the Governor in March 1979. While there is room for another interpretation (para 3 of Peking TUR), ZHONG's much more orthodox remarks to the Managing Director of Reuters (our TelNo 100 to the FCO) suggest to me that he may have been told to stick closely to the Party line in speaking to foreign journalists in future.

Yours ever,

Romni

.49

сс

R D Clift

HKGD FCO

H L1 Davies FED

FCO

(R J T McLaren)

SECRET