TNAG-1256-FCO40-1589-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 177

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FM FCO 1310OZ OCT 83

TO PRIORITY OTTAWA

TELEGRAM NUMBER 322 OF 14 OCTOBR

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG

BZOCT 1923

CHOCK

388) YOUR TELSNO 528 AND 529 VISIT TO CANADA OF CHINESE FOREIGN

38(388)

MINISTER REMARKS ABOUT HONG KONG

1.

THANK YOU FOR THESE REPORTS. PLEASE EXPRESS OUR THANKS TO

DEA FOR THEIR HELPFUL LINE (PARA 9 OF YOUR TEL 528 REFERS).

2.

YOU MAY TELL THE DEA, IN CONFIDENCE THAT WU'S REMARKS WERE

USEFUL AS A POINT OF COMPARISON WITH THEIR OTHER STATEMENTS.

THE GENERAL PATTERN IS THE SAME. IN THE NEGOTIATIONS AND MORE

RECENTLY OUTSIDE THEM, THE CHINESE HAVE EMPHASISED THEIR

INTENTION OF RECOVERING SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG IN 1997 THAT

SOVEREIGNTY IS NON-NEGOTIABLE AND THAT SOVEREIGNTY AND

ADMINISTRATION ARE INDIVISIBLE. THE POINTS WU MENTIONED IN THE

CONTEXT OF HONG KONG AS A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF CHINA

ARE IN LINE WITH WHAT WE KNOW ALREADY OF CHINA'S SAR PLAN. ON

A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THE CHINESE HAVE SAID THAT

(A) PRIVATE OWNERSHIP OF PROPERTY IN HONG KONG AND FOREIGN

INVESTMENTS THERE WOULD BE PROTECTED SEMI COLON

(B) HONG KONG AND TAIWAN ARE COMPLEMENTARY COMPONENTS OF CHINESE

PLANS FOR SPECIAL POLICIES' SEMI COLON

+

(C) HONG KONG'S JUDICIAL SYSTEM WOULD REMAIN UNCHANGED BUT THE

'POWER OF FINAL JUDGEMENT' WOULD BE VESTED IN HONG KONG SEMI COLON

(D) THE HONG KONG DOLLAR WOULD CONTINUE TO CIRCULATE FREELY

AND REMAIN FULLY CONVERTIBLE SEMI COLON

(E) HONG KONG CHINESE PEOPLE (IE NOT CHINESE FROM PEKING)

WOULD ADMINISTER HONG KONG SEMI COLON

(F) HONG KONG WOULD BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN EXISTING EXTERNAL

RELATIONS IN ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL FIELDS.

3. DESPITE A NUMBER OF COMMON ELEMENTS, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME

DIFFERENCES OF EMPHASIS IN THE MANY VERSIONS OF THIS SAR PLAN.

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