TNAG-1239-FCO40-1552-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 149

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The Prime Minister said that there was no time in the present short visit to reconcile the differences on this issue which existed between the British and the Chinese Governments, but she believed that those differences could be reconciled and that it was essential to maintain confidence while they were reconciled.

That waswhy she proposed that it should be announced, while she was in Peking that further talks were to take place

between the two Governments and that those talks would have a

common objective to maintain prosperity and stability in Hong Kong. A Press Conference on the whole of her visit to Peking had been arranged for later that day and she would have to say something

on this issue then. She would like to discuss before the end

of the meeting what she proposed to say with the aim of maintaining confidence while talks went on. But she could not make any

statement which misrepresented the genuine views of Mr. Deng Xiaoping and herself. She then invited Mr. Deng to raise any points or details in her statement which he wished to discuss.

Mr. Deng Xiaoping said that Premier Zhao Ziyang had enunciated the Chinese basic position on Hong Kong frankly on the previous day. There were three questions sovereignty; the continued prosperity of Hong Kong; and discussions between the Chinese and

avoid British Governments on how to/turbulence in Hong Kong between now and 1997 and how to maintain prosperity in Hong Kong thereafter. He said that the Prime Minister had talked about prosperity after 1997 but not in the intervening period. As Premier Zhao Ziyang had said, on sovereignty there was no leeway for China: sovereignty was not a matter which could be discussed. In Premier Zhao Ziyang's words, the time was ripe for settlement of the Hong Kong issue.

It should be

clear today that in 1997 China would certainly recover sovereignty over Hong Kong. It was under this pre-condition that China and the United Kingdom would hold talks between the two sides on formulae for the future of Hong Kong and on policies for maintaining Hong Kong's prosperity.

Mr. Deng Xiaoping said that if in 1997 the People's Republic of China had not recovered Hong Kong the Chinese leaders and

the Chinese Government would not be able to account for it to

the Chinese people or to the people of the world.

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If sovereignty

/ were not

.

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