TNAG-1167-FCO40-1447-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 125

SECRET

Foreign and Commonwealth Office London SW1A 2AH

R J T McLaren Esq CMG Political Adviser

Government Secretariat

HONG KONG

Dear Robin,

FUTURE OF HONG KONG

On Love вы

Motel

Bu

Telephone 01- 233 3184

+213

༢

Your reference

:

Our reference

Date

moted pas izto

HKK 040/1

HER Ovell

1 1 FEB 1982

HKK 0461

10 February 1982

Fie

Pas 29/3

за

Je-Sea (83)

(278) 1981 2913

57

A5

TULA,

1. In our Telegram No 974 of 21 December 1981 we said that we were working on the legal implications of the sovereignty question. We have also been giving further thought to the question of land leases.

2.

I now enclose the following papers:

attached

bo

a) The first draft of a paper, cleared so far only within the

.department and with the departmental Legal Adviser, which

attempts to set out in sliding-scale form possible ways of continuing British administration of Hong Kong beyonf 1997, and the legal implications thereof for HMG.

attached

to

25

(260)

UTA

45

3.

a

131

150

776

b) A copy of Rushford's minute of 9 December 1981 which contains

the view that any understanding with the Chinese, or even UK declaration to which the Chinese were content to acquiesce, could cover us for the purpose of continuing the UK's responsibilities for internal administration and external

affairs.

c) A copy of Rushford's minute to me of 26 January in which he

argues that strictly speaking there is no legal impediment to the grant of a commercial lease in the New Territories expiring after 30 June 1997 to a suitable PRC representative, nominee or protégé.

d) A copy of Rushford's minute of 28 January to Sir Ian Sinclair.

e) A copy of Rushford's eve-of-retirment minute of 2 February

to Sir Ian Sinclair, setting out a number of propositions that he considers relevant to the future of Hong Kong in general.

We realise that the papers at (a) is but a first sten and that it requires some polishing. I think, for instance, that the distinction between options 2 and 3 is artificial they can probably be

merged.

SECRET

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