TNAG-1231-FCO40-1544-Visit-by-Richard-Luce--Minister-of-State-for-Foreign-and-Com-1983 — Page 133

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GOVERNMENT OF CHINA. THAT REMAINS AS FIRMLY AS EVER OUR OBJECTIVE,

AND WANT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG TO KNOW THAT IT REMAINS OUR

COMMITTMENT TO DO OUR BEST FOR THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WITHIN

THE CONTEXT OF THAT OBJECTIVE. INDEED WOULD GO FURTHER AND SAY

THIS: IT IS NOT ONLY IN THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG

THAT WE SHOULD SUCCEED IN THIS OBJECTIVE BUT THAT IT IS ALSO IN

BRITAIN'S INTERESTS THAT WE SHOULD SUCCEED IN THAT OBJECTIVE.

NOW, WANT TO SAY A WORD ABOUT MUTUAL CONFIDENCE.

IT IS, TO MY MIND, OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT WE SHOULD RETAIN

MUTUAL TRUST AND MUTUAL CONFIDENCE BETWEEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT

AND THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG. AN I WOULD LIKE TO SAY HAVING BEEN

HERE NOW FOR FOUR, FIVE DAYS, IF AM TO PUT MYSELF INTO THE POSITION OF YOU THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WHO LIVE HERE AND IT'S MY DUTY TO TRY AND DO SO, THEN, OF COURSE, ACKNOWLEDGE VERY FULLY WHY PEOPLE ARE ANXIOUS AT THIS TIME. INDEED, WHEN ONE IS A LITTLE UNCERTAIN OF ONE'S OWN FUTURE THEN, OF COURSE, THAT FEELING OF ANXIETY EXISTS, AND WANT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG TO KNOW THAT

NOT ONLY # BUT THE PRIME MINISTER AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE UNDER- STAND THESE FEELINGS OF ANXIETY.

BUT NOW WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO, THE BRITISH

GOVERNMENT? WE ARE NOT ONLY TRYING TO PRESERVE ALL THAT HAS BEEN . BUILT UP SO SUCCESSFULLY MN HONG KONG, WE'RE GOING TO TRY, AND WE ARE TRYING TO BUILD FURTHER ON THAT SUCCESS SO THAT HONG KONG CAN FLOURISH STILL FURTHER IN THE LONGER TERM.

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S PRIORITY HS TO WORK FOR SUCCESS AND WOULD PSE THE QUESTION: IN WHOSE POSSIBLE HNTEREST- HAN WHOSE POSSIBLE INTEREST COULD T BE FOR US TO FAIL IN THESE TALKS AND AN FINDING A SUCCESSFUL SOLUTION? OF COURSE THERE'LL BE TURBULENCE, THERE'LL BE BUFFETING, HT MAY TAKE TIME THE TALKS WE HAVE BETWEEN BRITAMIN AND CHINA, BUT BELIEVE ALL OF US, ABOVE ALL THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, HAVE HT IN THEM TO WEATHER THE STORM AND NO ONE SHOULD BE IN ANY DOUBT OF THE DETERMINATION OF THE BRINTHISH GOVERNMENT.

NOW, WANT JUST TO SAY A WORD ABOUT THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF TALKS BETWEEN THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT.

REALLY DO HAVE TO SAY THAT ALTHOUGH IT IS PERFECTLY UNDERSTAND- ABLE THAT PEOPLE SHOULD WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE DETAILS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS THAT YOU CANNOT INDULGE HN WHAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS MEGAPHONE DIPLOMACY. INDEED YOU CANNOT NEGOT HATE IN PUBLIC AND IF YOU TRY TO DO SO THEN YOU ENDANGER THE PROSPECTS OF A SUCCESSFUL SOLUTION WHICH WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR. IT WOULD BE TOTALLY COUNTER- PRODUCTIVE, SO WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS TO SEEK FOR THE COMMON GROUND. A GREAT CHINESE LEADER ONCE REFERRED TO THE NEED TO WORK FOR COMMON GROUND, TO PUT THE DIFFICULTIES ON ONE SIDE AND TRY AND BUILD ON THE COMMON GROUND. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, WE'RE TRYING TO PRESERVE ALL THAT IS GOOD IN HONG KONG AND CONSTRUCT TOGETHER FOR THE FUTURE.

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/ NOW I WANT