TNAG-1236-FCO40-1549-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 31

Reference

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14 MAR 1983

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FUTURE OF HONG KONG:

167

CHINESE LEGAL SPECIALISTS ETC (Mr MeLaren's letter

of 16 February.

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1.

was_Ran_Longbo,

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I telephoned Dr Paul Chen of the Law Department of SOAS to ask him whether there had been a recent lecture at the School by a visiting "Chinese legal specialist". Chen said that the only person who might fit this description and who had given a lecture at the School recently, was Ran Longbo, the former Chinese diplomat now with the Academy of Social Sciences who was in London for two months in late 1982. Chen said that Ran does in fact have a legal qualification, but that his lecture had been entirely devoted to youth problems and he had said nothing of interest on Hong Kong. Nevertheless I think it likely that Anthony Dicks was referring to Ran. I suppose that Ran may have said something along the lines quoted by Anthony Dicks, perhaps in private conversation after the lecture.

2.

If

Chen also said that there was a possibility that he would himself be leaving for a short visit to Peking later this month. he did so he would expect to renew his acquaintance with Chen Tiqiang, a specialist in international law who had studied both at Harvard and Oxford (where his special subject was the law of recognition) and who had visited London under British Council auspices in about 1981. Paul Chen referred to Chen Tiqiang as being more an official than an academic lawyer, adding that he acted as an adviser to the Chinese Foreign Ministry This is of course the same person as the author of the article on the relevance of Article 31 HKK042 of the Chinese Constitution for Taiwan and Hong Kong, which was the никочог

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subject of Peter Webb's teleletter of 18 February and of my minute

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of 7 March(copied to take a

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Paul Chen also told me that the Executive Committee of the China Quarterly (of which he is a member) had discussed a proposal that half the space of a forthcoming issue should be devoted to Hong Kong. However, he said, there had been concern over the difficulty of obtaining suitable contributions and a final decision had not yet been made on this. Having received this information I have not bothered to contact Brian Hook, but please let me know if you wish me to enquire further.

4.

Paul Chen said that late last year he had given a talk on Hong Kong television on the question of the Prime Minister's visit and the question of the future; he referred to a briefing which he had from the FCO (I presume from a member of HKGD) before he gave

his talk.

CODE 18-77

8 March 1983

Kulake

K C Walker

Far Eastern Section Research Department G 59/4 233 3473

CONFIDENTIAL