TNAG-1254-FCO40-1587-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 76

PEKING TL

TO FCO

HONG

кома

WASHINGTON

GRS 600

CONFIDENTIAL

TELELETTER

Enter 040/5 I have

(2299)

minted

ffen

FROM:- RN PEARCE ESQ., PEKING

FILE REF NIL DATED 7 SEPTEMBER 1983

MKK09015

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

13 SEP 1983

DESK OF FICER INDEX

PA

REGISTITY

Action Taken

FOLLOWING FOR :-

W MORRIS ESQ. HKD FCO

FCO

COPIED TO :-

RP MARGOLIS ESQ., DPA HONG KONG

S GOMERSALL ESQ., WASHINGTON

See 317

FUTURE OF HONG KONG:

VISIT OF US SENATOR HATCH

1. US SENATORS ORRIN HATCH AND EDWARD ZORINSKY AND

MRS ANNA CHENNAULT CALLED ON FOREIGN MINISTER WU XUEQVAN

ON 30 AUGUST. THE US EMBASSY HAVE SHOWN US AN EXCERPT OF THE

TRANSCRIPT OF THIS MEETING WHICH REFERS TO HONG OKONG.

2. IN ANSWER TO A QUESTION FROM SENATOR HATCH ABOUT THE

STATE OF THE HONG KONG TALKS, WU XUEQIAN SAID

THE FOLLOWING:

BEGINS: CHINA AND BRITAIN HAVE ALREADY CONDUCTED THREE ROUNDS

OF TALKS ON THE ISSUE OF RETURNING SOVEREIGNTY TO CHINA.

NOW THE MEETINGS ARE IN RECESS, SCHEDULED TO RESUME IN SEPTEMBER.

WITH REGARD TO THE CONTENTS OF THE MEETINGS I THINK WE MUST

ADHERE TO THE AGREEMENT AT THE OUTSET OF THE TALKS.

HOWEVER OUR AMERICAN FFRIENDS KNOW OUR POSITION VERY WELL. NOT LONG AGO, THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE CNETRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA HAD A MEETING WITH JAPANESE JOURNALISTS. HE SAID "WE WILL RECOVER THE SOVEREIGNTY OF HONG KONG IN JULY 1997**. TALKS NOW IN PROGRESS ARE CENTERED ON HOW TO ENSURE THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY OF HONG KONG AFTER THAT. THE BRITISH ACCUSED US OF DISCUSSION OF THE CONTENT OF THE TALKS. THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED. WE THINK CHINA HAS A RIGHT TO GIVE HTS POSITION TO ITS FRIENDS. OUR POSITION IS SIMPLE. THERE ARE THREE POINTS. THE FIRST, RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY ON HONG KONG IS NON-NEGOTIABLE. WITH THIS AS A PRE-CONDITION THE TWO SIDES COULD HOLD TALKS, EXCHANGING VIEWS ON THE TWO POINTS IN A FRINEDLY ATMOSPHERE. THE FIRST (SIC), FROM NOW UNTIL 1997, A TRANSITION PERIOD OF FOURTEEN YEARS, HOW TO MAINTAIN STABILITY AND PROSPERITYFM IT IS OUR HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE NO CHAOTIC SITUATHOE EMERGING IN HONG KONG CAUSED BY NUMEROUS REASONS: WE HOPE THERE WILL BE NO SLIPPING OUT OF HAND IN HONG KONG, WE HOPE NOTHING OUT OF HAND WILL TAKE PLACE, BUT SHOULD IT, AS DENG XIAOPING SAID, WE WILL RECONSIDER THE TIME AND MANNER OF RECOVERY OF HONG KONG. AS FOR THE SECOND POINT, HOW TO ENSURE THE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY IN HONG KONG AFTER THE RECOVERY OF SOVEREIGNTY AFTER 1997, HONG KONG WILL BE A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION. WE ARE GOING TO

ADOPT A SERIES OF POLICIES TOWARD THE SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION IN LIGHT OF THE SPECIAL CONDITIONS IN HONG KONG. ALL POLICIES ARE AIMED AT THE GOAL OF MAINTAINING THE STABILITY AND PROSPERITY OF HONG KONG. AND FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME AFTER RECOVERY IN HONG KONG THE POLICIES WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED.

AFTER THE FIRST SESSION OF THE SIXTH NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS, CHAIRMAN DENG HAD A MEETING WITH LEADERS FROM HONG KONG. AT THAT TIME, HE EXPLAINED CHINA'S POLICY IN EXPLICIT TERMS. AFTER THEY RETURNED THEY GRADUALLY DISCLOSED WHAT HAD BEEN SAID TO THEM. I WILL NOT REPEAT IT HERE. STILL, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS P'LL TRY TO ANSWER THEM. ENDS.

3. THERE WAS NO FURTHER DISCUSSION HONG KONG.

SIGNED.............R N PEARCE

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