TNAG-1172-FCO40-1453-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1982 — Page 141

GRS 350

SECRET

FM HONG KONG 250412Z JUNE 82

TO ROUTINE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 592 OF 05 JUNE

SECRET

INFO PEKING (PERSONAL FOR AMBASSADOR)

FOR DONALD

Ꮷ ᏧᏆ

HICK

040/1

A

KELAIVAD IN REDENZY

8 JUN 572

324

FROM GOVERNOR

303

YOUR TELNO 421: FUTURE OF HONG KONG

INDEX

대

WANG KUANG CALLED ON ME ON 4 JUNE. HE WAS ACCOMPANIED

BY 2ND DIRECTOR LI JUSHENG, AND 2 OTHER MEMBERS OF HIS STAFF,

AND IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE OUTSET THAT HE REGARDED THIS FIRST MEETING AS LARGELY A COURTESY CALL.

292

2. I RAISED THE FUTURE TOWARDS THE END OF THE MEETING, WITH THE MAIN STRESS ON POINT 3 C IN MY TELNO 546. I SAID THAT WANG WOULD HAVE NOTED THAT I HAD BEEN VERY CAUTIOUS IN MY REMARKS

ABOUT THE FUTURE ON ARRIVAL AND WOULD CONTINUE TO BE SO. IN THIS I HAD WHAT ZHAO HAD SAID TO MR ATKINS VERY MUCH IN MIND. REFERRING TO CURRENT VISITS BY PROMINENT LOCAL BUSINESSMEN TO PEKING, I SAID THAT SPECULATION ABOUT THE FUTURE BY PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN IN TOUCH WITH CHINESE LEADERS CARRIED PARTICULAR RISKS. WITHOUT MENTIONING THE FRANKFURT CONFERENCE (CLIFT'S LETTER TO MCLAREN OF 21 MAY) DIRECTLY I ADDED THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS

ABOUT HONG KONG IN THE COMING MONTHS. HONG KONG GOVERNMENT

REPRESENTATIVES WOULD BE VERY CAUTIOUS. I HOPED OTHERS

WOULD BE TOC.

3. WANG KUANG AGREED: WHAT I HAD SAID WAS IN ACCORDANCE

WITH THE PRIRIT OF DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN CHINESE LEADERS AND BRITISH VISITORS. PEOPLE WERE BOUND TO SPECULATE ABOUT THE FUTURE, BUT THEY WOULD DO SO WITHOUT WANG'S OR MY BACKGROUND OF KNOWLEDGE AND RESPONSIBILITY.

4. THE REMAINDER OF WANG'S REMARKS WERE UNREMARKABLE. HIS MAIN

POINT WAS THAT THERE WAS PLENTY OF TIME (A SOMEWHAT ODD REMARK QVEN THE AMOUNT OF CHINESE ACTIVITY ON THIS SUBJECT).

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YOUDE

LIMITED H K & D J D FED

Pusi

PS.

PS LORD BELSTEAD

PS PUS

MR GIFFARD

MRDONALD SIR.I. SINCLAIR MR EVANS

SECRET

COPIES TO.. MR BURROWS LEGAL ADVISERS.