TNAG-1168-FCO40-1448-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 100

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FM FCO 081035Z MAR 82

TO PRIORITY HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 158 OF 8 MARCH,

INFO PEKING (PERSONAL FOR AMBASSADOR)

FOR GOVERNOR FROM CLIFT

११

PEKING TELNO 136: FUTURE OF HONG KONG

1. WE SEE FORCE OF ANALYSIS IN TUR. IT COULD BE DAMAGING IF WANG

WERE TO REPORT TO PEKING THAT HE HAD SUGGESTED TO YOU THAT HONG

KONG COULD CONTINUE TO PROSPER WITHOUT CONTINUED BRITISH ADMINIS-

TRATION AND THAT YOU HAD NOT DISAGREED. AT THE SAME TIME WE DO NOT WANT TO CONFRONT THE CHINESE WITH THE ISSUE TOO EARLY AND

BEFORE OUR OWN POSITION IS PREPARED. YOU WILL KNOW HOW TO

HANDLE THIS. IF WANG WERE TO RAISE THE POINT AND YOU NEEDED TO

COMMENT, YOU MIGHT SAY THAT HE SEEMED TO HAVE MISREAD THE

SITUATION SINCE ANY FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN HONG KONG'S ADMINIS-

TRATION COULD DESTROY CONFIDENCE.

2. HOWEVER WE THINK IT WOULD BE WRONG TO GO BEYOND THIS. IF

PRESSED YOU COULD SAY THAT THIS WAS A MATTER FOR FURTHER

DISCUSSION BUT WE SUGGEST YOU STILL AVOID APPEARING TO MAKE ANY

OUTRIGHT PROPOSAL FOR A SOLUTION INVOLVING BRITISH ADMINISTRATION

BEYOND 1997.

CARRINGTON

Püm n13

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LIMITED

HD/HKGD

HD/FED

COPIES TO:

SIR E YOUDE,

C/O HKGD.

PS

PS/LPS

MR WRIGHT

MR GIFFARD

MR DONALD

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