TNAG-1249-FCO40-1563-Press-reports-on-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 23

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CONFIDENTIAL

TELELETTER

HKKCAOD

RECEIVED I ARLIN

2 NOV 1983

DESK OFFICE

INDEX

RY

Taken

"CH23"

FROM: R.P. MARGOLIS, DEPUTY POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG

FILE REF : NFR

DATED 21 NOVEMBER 1983

FOLLOWING FOR : W. MORRIS ESQ., (HKD) FCO

D.G. BLUNT ESQ.,

PEKING

N.J. COX ESQ., FED, FORCH

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: PRESS REPORTS.

(278) (3061. PLEASE REFER TO YOUR TELELETTERS OF 27 OCTOBER AND 16 NOVEMBER.

(311

I AM SORRY THAT YOU HAVE NOT HAD AN EARLIER REPLY.

2. WE HAVE NOT (NOT) THOUGHT IT WORTH SEEKING AN ACCOUNT FROM

DR HUANG OF HIS MEETING WITH LI PENGFE. AS YOU MAY HAVE GATHERED

FROM REPORTS OF HIS PREVIOUS VISITS TO PEKING, DR HUANG HAS

COMPREHENSIVELY EMBRACED THE CHINESE POINT OF VIEW ON HONG KONG.

AN ATTEMPT TO DEBRIEF HIM MIGHT WELL HAVE BEEN EXPLOITED BY

HIM IN AN UNDESIRABLE MANNER.

See B15)

3. DR LEGGE GAVE ROBIN MCLAREN AND BIM DAVIES AN ACCOUNT OF

HIS MEETING WITH LI PENGFEI FROM WHICH IT WAS APPARENT THAT DR LEGGE HAD DONE MOST OF THE TALKING, AND HAD ENTHUSED ABOUT THE IDEA OF SELF-RULE FOR HONG KONG. SUCH OF WI'S REMARKS AS CAN BE GLEANED FROM DR LEGGE'S ACCOUNT APPEARED TO BE ON STANDARD LINES.

November 4. YOU WILL HAVE SEEN FROM MY TELELETTER OF 19 OCTOBER THAT WIDE ANGLE REFERRED TO LH'S CONVERSATION WITH DENNY HUANG AND SUGGESTED THAT LOCAL NOMINATION OF THE GOVERNOR AND FORMAL APPOINTMENT BY

PEKING WAS ONLY ONE OF THREE POSSIBLE METHODS FOR DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM BEING CONSIDERED BY THE CHINESE. THE ARTICLE BY

TERESA MA IN THIS WEEK'S FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW (REFERRED 301TO IN PARA 5 OF OUR TELNO 1758) ALSO QUOTES LIANG WEILIN (HEAD

OF GUANGDONG PROVINCE CPPCC AND A FORMER HEAD OF NONA IN HONG KONG)

AS HAVING SAID AT THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR THE SUN YAT-SEN MEMORIAL

HALL IN ZHANGSHAN COUNTY THAT THE HEAD OF THE FUTURE HONG KONG SAR

WOULD BE A LOCAL CHINESE NOMINATED BY REPRESENTATIVE ORGANISATIONS

AND ENDORSED WITH A FORMAL APPOINTMENT FROM PEKING. I ASKED TERESA

MA WHERE SHE HAD GOT THE INFORMATION FROM, SINCE THE REPORTS AT

THE TIME CONCENTRATED ON LIANG WEILIN'S AND OTHER OFFICIALS'

298 REMARKS ABOUT THE SEPTEMBER 1984 DEADLINE'' (SEE OUR TELNO 1731).

SHE SAID THAT SHE HAD HEARD REPORTS OF LIANG'S REMARKS BUT HAD

NOT MADE ANY ATTEMPT TO VERIFY THEM.

SKDREGISTRY PLEASE PASS TO FER

SIGNED R.P. MARGOLIS

NNNN