PS/Mr Luce
Мисуже
Никогд
15/7/17
19
CONFIDENTIAL
M. Cliff HKD
Thankyou Thank you
माळी ग
CHINA: SPECIAL REGIMES: MACAO
18
។
1.
Your minute of 13 July. The Macao arrangement, as described in Mr Thomson's minute of 11 July, is of course very much along the lines of the sovereignty/administration deal that we are trying to reach with the Chinese over Hong Kong. I do not think, however, that it is very helpful as a precedent for our negotiations because the Chinese have said on a number of occasions that the future of Macao depends on that of Hong Kong, rather than vice versa. Moreover, all the information we have on the Chinese proposals for Hong Kong suggests that they are aiming at a much more visible assertion of their sovereignty than would be provided by a secret understanding.
2.
Another important difference is that we would have to enact legislation to allow us to continue to administer the New Territories after 1997. This is of course not the case in Macao, where the Chinese can continue to maintain their line that the situation will be resolved 'when conditions are ripe' without the constraint of a deadline.
3. One possible lesson, however, is the precedent of the Chinese using a secret understanding as an adjunct to a more formal arrangement. Hong Kong is a different case, in as much as the Chinese are interested in a public agreement that meets their political requirements for all to see but it is possible that they may be prepared to add a secret understanding that covers areas they may not be prepared to divulge publicly. Whether this would be acceptable to us, given the need to preserve confidence in Hong Kong, is another question.
15 July 1983
Дир
R D Clift
Hong Kong Department
cc: PS/PUS
Mr Giffard
Mr Donald
Planning Staff Mr Elliott, FED
CONFIDENTIAL
Third low
сто
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.