TNAG-1248-FCO40-1562-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 92

ZZ PEKING

GRS 175

CONFIDENTIAL

DESKBY HONG KONG 15010OZ

FM FCO 141028Z JULY 83

CONFIDENTIAL

TO FLASH PEKING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 444 OF 14 JULY

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

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per 2017.

4893 1

MKK040/2.

RELATFO

19 JUL 1983

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སྶ བྷི ཨུབྷཱཝཱ,ཀྑདྡྷ བྷིཊྛི

DESK INDEX

PA

ра

PY

1

ปี

Yakon

THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

1. THE GUARDIAN OF 14 JULY CONTAINS AN ARTICLE BY JOHN GITTINGS

SPECULATING INTER ALIA THAT AT THE END OF THE FIRST SESSION OF

TALKS IT APPEARS LIKELY THAT BRITAIN IS WILLING TO CONCEDE

SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG.

2.

-

THE ARTICLE ALSO SAYS THAT A BRITISH DIPLOMAT IN PEKING HAD

1 TACITLY ACCEPTED THE CHINESE POSITION' ON THE NON-REPRESENTATION OF HONG KONG IN THE TALKS, EXPLAINING THAT 'THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WILL NOT HAVE A DIRECT VOICE IN THE NEGOTIATIONS WE WILL

SEEK THEIR ADVICE AND SO I IMAGINE WILL THE CHINESE NOR WILL

THEY HAVE ANY VOTE ON THE RESULTS. THAT IS JUST THE WAY IT IS'.

3. THE ARTICLE SAYS THAT DURING THIS CONVERSATION THE DIPLOMAT SAID THAT THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WOULD NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPROVE OR REJECT THE RESULTS OF NEGOTIATIONS. 4. GRATEFUL FOR URGENT CLARIFICATION, DESKBY 141230Z, TO DEAL WITH POSSIBLE PALIAMENTARY INTEREST THIS AFTERNOON.

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FUTURE OF HONG KONG

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COPIES TO:

HKD

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PLANNING STAFF

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PS/LADY YOUNG

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CONFIDENTIAL

SIR I SINCLAIR LEGAL ADVISER

MR MARTIN

MR FLOWER

MR COLES

LEGAL ADVISERS

ASSESSMENTS STAFF CABINET OFFICE

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