TNAG-1172-FCO40-1453-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 136

布政司署

香港下亞畢道

本署檔號 OUR REF.:

來函檔號 Your Ref.:

SECRET

324A

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT

LOWER ALBERT ROAD

HONG KONG

R D Clift, Esq,

HKGD,

FCO.

сорёл в ретр Plus, 8/6

5 June 1982

inn o yoll

JUM

See 341

Dear Dick,

Future of Hong Kong: HUAN Xiang

✓ 1716

Paro illo

309

Please refer to correspondence about HUAN Xiang's remarks to the Australians resting with FCO telno 227 to Peking.

281

2.

As promised (para 9 of HK telno 529) the Australian Commission have now shown us Rowe's original record of his two conversations with HUAN Xiang. I enclose a copy of this. As you will see, it confirms that the more unwelcome points made by HUAN were drawn out in response to questions and were not volunteered at the outset.

3.

The way in which Rowe's question about continuing British administration was put is a good example. HUAN'S response that Britain would not be able to "send" people to Hong Kong because this would make nonsense of Chinese

I was sovereignty is interesting, though not encouraging. also struck by HUAN's repetition of the point that China did not really understand the concept of a free port, and by his reference to Danzig in that connection. This suggests that HUAN's academy have been set to study how Hong Kong's prosperity, and its role in the Chinese economy could be preserved without maintaining the constitutional and administrative status quo.

Yous ever,

Room

(R J T McLaren) Political Adviser

cc Sir P Cradock, PEKING w/encl.

SECRET