TNAG-1238-FCO40-1551-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 49

Mr Clift HKGD

SECRET

HKK040/1

RECEIVED HI RIOSTRY NO. 51

-

- 8 JUL 1983

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY

Assion Taken

118/2

373)

Future of Hong Kong

I would be grateful for your advice on one or two See (74)

points which the Secretary of State has queried in the briefing for the Unofficials. Paragraph 5(c) of the paper on the forward strategy for the talks says 'We must have ready precedents which show that sovereignty and administration can be, and in other parts of the world have been, separated'. It goes on to say that we must have ready our own ideas on what changes we could or could not accept to the present set-up of British administration. The Secretary of State would find it useful to have both these points spelled out in more detail, in particular with examples of the precedents for the separation of sovereignty and administration.

See (383)

See (88)

Similarly he has noted that in the discussion at Number 10 on 15 June, the Frime Minister said that we had to find a system whereby the rights of the people of Hong Kong depended on the United Kingdom and were independent of Peking. She said that 'China had provided for special regimes elsewhere'. The Secretary of State wonders what she had in mind in this comment.

As you know, the Secretary of State separately expressed interest in questions of this sort when talking to Sir E Youde on 1 July. They may come up again at the further discussion with the Governor this afternoon. will want to take into account the discussion in whatever material you submit.

You

Separately, the Secretary of State has also asked to see again the records of the Prime Minister's talks in Peking on the future of Hong Kong. He would also like a note on how the talks were subsequently treated:

(a) In Hong Kong.

(b)

By China.

(c) By the media.

(d) In Parliament.

I would be grateful for a note on this too.

5 July 1983

cc:

PS

PS/Mr Luce PS/PU S

Mr Giffard

Mr Donald

५.

J.a.

(JB Ho Hd

Mr Burrows, Legal Advisers

Planning Staff

FED

SECRET