TNAG-1173-FCO40-1465-Future-of-Hong-Kong-special-study-by-FCO-for-the-Prime-Minis-1982 — Page 296

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

E. AGREEING TO THE CHINESE SOLUTION. (PARA 13(E)) BECAUSE OF THE

CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE IT WOULD CAUSE IN HONG KONG.

4. THESE POINTS WOULD LEAD TO THE CONCLUSION THAT SOME OTHER

SOLUTION WILL HAVE TO BE NEGOTIATED TO RECONCILE THE INTERESTS

OF BOTH SIDES.

3. AFTER REVIEWING THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF EACH SIDE'S

POSITION (PARA 12 SHORTENED TO REFER BACK TO 3(C) ABOVE, AND PARAS 13 AND 14, OMIT PARA 15, CONTINUE AS IN 16 AND 17) AND THE TIME FACTORS (PARAS 18 AND THE FIRST PART OF

PARA 19 DOWN TO ''WELL BEING OF ITS PEOPLE'') THEPE SHOULD

3E A SEPARATE SECTION HEADED OTHER SOLUTIONS' AND

RETAINING (C) AND (D). OPTIONS (A), (B) AND (E) WILL ALREADY

HAVE BEEN RULED OUT (SEE PARA 3 ABOVE). THIS WOULD SEEM TO

BRING THIS SECTION MORE CLOSELY INTO LINE WITH ANNEXES.

6. I HAVE NO COMMENT ON THE ORDER OF PARAS 20 TO 32. BUT THE

PAPER AT PRESENT LACKO A CONCLUSION WHICH SHOULD BE INSERTED BEFORE

PARAS 33 TO 39. THIS MIGHT READ:

QUOTE

CONCLUSIONS.

A. THE CLASSIC AND WELL TRIED SOLUTIONS TO RESOLVING COLONIAL

PROBLEMS ARE NEITHER POSSIBLE NOR PRACTICABLE. THE SAME

APPLIES TO A NUMBER OF OTHER SOLUTIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN

PUT FORWARD. (PARA 3 ABOVE).

B. NEVERTHELESS A SOLUTION MUST BE FOUND IF THE COMMON OBJECTIVES

OF THE THREE INTERESTED PARTIES (SEE PARA 1 ABOVE) ARE TO BE

ACHIEVED, NAMELY THE MAINTENANCE OF PROSPERITY AND STABILITY

IN HONG KONG, AND THE AVOIDANCE OF THE SEVERE DIFFICULTIES

WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE FACE HMC WHICH WOULD BE MATCHED BY

A DANGEROUS SENSE OF FRUSTRATION ON THE PART OF THE CHINESE.

C. SO FAR THE ONLY SOLUTION TO EMERGE WHICH OFFERS ANY PROSPECT

OF RECONCILING THE POSITION OF THE TWO GOVERNMENTS AND

WHICH WOULD AT THE SAME TIME DE TOLERABLE TO THE LOCAL PEOPLE

IS THAT OF A MANAGEMENT CONTRACT. THIS WOULD BE PRACTICABLE.

UNQUOTE

7. FOR COMMENTS OF DETAIL SEE IFT.

YOUDE

LIMITED

HD / HK GD

HD/FED MR GIFFARD

2

SECRET

COPIES

то

MR RUSHFORD LEGAL ADVISER

Comments

Approved members can add comments, bookmarks, and private notes.

No comments yet.

Private Research Note

Private notes are available after approval.