TNAG-1243-FCO40-1557-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 176

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CHINESE SAR PLAN FOR HONGKONG: CONSULTATION WITH THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG, AND POSSIBLE ELECTIONS

Mrs Priest's minute of 24 November below provides a useful round- up of what the Chinese have been saying about:-

(762) 1.

(a) Hong Kong people running Hong Kong after 1997;

(b)

(c)

2.

Chinese consultation with the people of Hong Kong on their SAR plan;

methods by which a future 'Governor' might be appointed/elected.

On (a), while there seems no doubt that the Chinese intend Hong Kong to be run by Hong Kong's inhabitants, they are of course filtering people into Hong Kong all the time. For example, Xu Jiatun and Wang Guangying if they stay for a few years will become HongKong inhabitants. Whether people with foreign citizenship, who have lived in Hong Kong for some time, could participate in Hong Kong's Government is still not entirely clear. On 14 November, Yao Guang said that 'the Government of Hong Kong would be composed of local inhabitants

and other foreign nationals might be employed

•

to serve as advisers in organs in various levels of Hong Kong Moreover, 'Wide Angle' on 16 November reported a CPCC member as saying that 'even British statesmen or administrative officers may stay in service, if they are welcomed by the citizens, and if they choose to do so. Of course, the Mayor of Hong Kong must be a Hong Kong resident'

3.

On (b) I believe the process of general consultation by the Chinese, mainly with selected individuals and groups from Hong Kong, will continue. Ji Peng Fei is particularly active on this front, having taken over the mantle worn by Liao Chenzhi. It is likely, however, that this so called 'consultation' involves Hong Kong people being lectured on the inevitability of China's plan rather than letting them put their views forward. In any case, it is not at all certain that their views do, in any case, reach the top.

4.

Following

The elections idea (c), I find particularly intriguing. Ji Peng Fei's remarks to Dr Huang, 'Wide Angle' went into this in / some detail. The relevant extract is attached.

5. In conjunction with this line, the Chinese seem to have started saying now that Britain should be introducing more democratic processes into Hong Kong as a lead up to 1997. (This coincides oddly with our argument in the past that we could not make Hong Kong more democratic because of its unique position vis-à-vis the NT lease and China!) Hong Kong's press coverage telegram number 1832, for example, reports Wen Wei Po (Communist) praising Mr Adley's call for more democratic institutions in Hong Kong. Likewise, Ta Kung Pao (Communist) says that 'recent letters from students to Mrs Thatcher indicated people's desire for greater opportunity for the Hong Kong Government to live up to its projected image of a democratic government and for Britain to fulfil its promise to find a settlement on Hong Kong's future that was first and foremost acceptable to the people of Hong Kong'. What in short the Chinese seem to be saying

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