TNAG-1233-FCO40-1546-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 77

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Dr. David Wilson

7 Hestercombe Avenue, Fulham, London S.W.6.

England.

Dear David,

Centre for Asian Studies

The University of Adelaide G.FO. Box 498, SA 5001. AUSTRALIA

28 December 1982

I am sorry I did not get the chance to see you again during my brief visit home, particularly as I had so enjoyed the evening we spent with you, Natasha and Professor Ran. Incidentally, I did succeed in arranging an interview for but I do not know to what effect as I could not attend at the time and I left London too early to find out the results.

him with Dahrendorf

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You will, I am sure, remember that during the course of the evening I had briefly mentioned to you my discussion over lunch with the chief Xinhua correspondent in Hong Kong just before I had left Hong long for London. The same Szeto Keung was anxious to resume our discussion during my brief stop over in HK while en route for Australia. The free lance journalist Harvey Stockwin effected the meeting and we had lunch on 22nd December. As you may imagine we covered a wide amount of ground during our talks, but these focused mainly on the Hong Kong issue. He made a number of points which I beleive may be of interest to you. He appeared to speak with authority and with inside knowledge. But you will know better than me whether any of the following is new, he nevertheless told Harvey that his points were made in confidence. What he expected me to do with this is not quite clear. It may have been designed as just background information for my benefit.

I did not take notes, but these are the main points as I remeber them not necessarily in the order in which they were made or in accordance with their intrinsic importance.

10 The FRC would establish soveriegnty in 1997- not before.

20 HI would become a SAZ in acc. with A31 of the Constitution which would be amended and enlarged to take into account the spefics of the agreement with the UK and the particular needs of H to carry on functioning as at present.

3) HI would be run by HK people. There would be only one requirement that

they would willingly accept PRC sovereignty. HI would have its own laws, own currency, own domestic and foreign economic systems. The PRC would not interfere, but London's rule would be terminated: e.g., there would be no right of appeal to the Privy Council.

4) Any HK residents who wished to leave and had countries who would accept them

would be free to do so.

5) A distinction was drawn between the British for whom k was not a high priority. or of much economic significance and what e called the H British. The latters' special needs would be catered for.

6) e did not demur from the suggestion that th negns. depended on trust and that the PRC also had a responsibility and added that China's leaders henceforth would stop making public pronouncements on H. He had noticed that Mrs. T had not said anything in public on this since her H press conference and that she had not responded to the comments etc of Peijing leaders.

7) If all went well in the Sino-Dritish ncgns. efforts would be made to promote bilateral trade to British advatare. He claimed that the military contract with Britain was in response to the opening of ne¿ms.