SECRET UK EYES A
8.
the July talks Vice Minister Yao Guang made no specific mention of the post of Governor, although he did stress, on a number of occasions and increasingly strongly, that China would recover sovereignty in 1997 and would also resume the exercise of that sovereignty. The two were inseparable. China could not yield on this fundamental principle (Peking telnos 702 and 710).
9.
According to an exclusive story by Terry Cheng in the Hong Kong Standard on 26 July, ''China wants a Deputy Governor in Hong Kong before 1997.
The idea may have been put to the British side during the present round of talks.'' (Hong Kong News round-up of 26 July).
1
10. According to Hong Kong telno 1105 of 29 July, the communist pręss has given prominent coverage to a delegation from the Hong Kong Federation of Students who visited China from 9 to 23 July. According to the press reports, the students were told by ''officials in charge of Hong Kong affairs' in Peking that one of the ten special points which would apply to Hong Kong as an SAR was ''Peking will not send an official to rule Hong Kong. The future mayor or administrative head of Hong Kong will be elected by the Hong Kong people. The only requirement is that he must be patriotic and support the reunification of China, and be respected by the people''.
Comment
11. China's basic position seems to be that there would be a local
'Governor'' (ie not someone sent from Peking or London), chosen by some kind of consultative or electoral process. Given that the Chinese are stressing more strongly than ever that they regard administration and sovereignty as inseparable, it seems increasingly clear that they would not accept a Governor sent from, or appointed by, London. I do not think we should yet rule out entirely the possibility of a Governor (even an expatriate, long term resident) being appointed through consultation between China, the UK and Hong Kong, but what will really matter, so far as all three parties are concerned, is to whom such a figure would be accountable. This seems to me to be the crux of the matter and it is of this that we and the Chinese appear to widely differ.
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on
1 August 1983
SECRET UK EYES A
W Morris
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