TNAG-1257-FCO40-1590-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 135

PUSS comment attached

GRS 1300

SECRET

SECRET

DESKBY 07123OZ

FROM PEKING 070815Z NOV 83

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 1154 OF 7/11/83

TOP COPY

HKK040 5

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY / VOV 1983

REPEATED FOR INFO TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG AND PRIORITY UKREP BRUSSELS

REGU

4

CHIOLU

520) MIPT:

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: CHINESE REMARKS TO THORN

See (532)

521

1. TRANSLATION OF THORN'S RECORD IS AS FOLLOWS.

BEGINS

538

See HKK040/14 (239)

THE QUESTION OF HONG KONG WAS RAISED REPEATEDLY AND *INSISTENTLY BY THE CHINESE SIDE, BOTH IN THE FORMAL DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THORN, DENG AND FOREIGN MINISTER WU AND IN THE COURSE OF INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THORN AND ZHOU NAN. IN ALL THE CONTACTS THE CHINESE POSITION APPEARED CONCERTED AND COHERENT.

DISCUSSIONS WITH DENG

2. DENS SAID THAT AS REGARDS REUNIFICATION OF CHINA, THERE WERE TWO PROBLEMS: TAIWAN AND HONG KONG. THE CHINESE ENVISAGED A SETTLEMENT OF THESE QUESTIONS OVER A RELATIVELY LONG PERIOD OF TIME. SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE PRC, CHINA HAD CONSCIOUSLY PUT THE PROBLEM OF HONG KONG TO ONE SIDE. BUT NOW THEY HAD RAISED THE QUESTION OF THE RECOVERY OF HONG KONG'S SOVEREIGNTY N 1997. THERE WERE MORE THAN 13 YEARS TO THAT TIME.

3. DENG SAND HE DID NOT WISH TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM OF HONG KONG WITH THORN, NEVERTHELESS A MEMBER STATE OF THE COMMUNITY WAS INVOLVED IN THE MATTER. HT WAS EASY TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM: N 1997 THERE WOULD BE NO REASON FOR CHINA NOT TO RECOVER SOVEREIGNTY OVER HONG KONG. IN SEPTEMBER 1982 WHEN HE HAD MET MRS THATCHER HE HAD SAID TO HER THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD THING IF THE MATTER COULD BE RESOLVED UNDER HER GOVERNMENT. A SOLUTION WOULD NOT DAMAGE BRITISH INTERESTS. BY PUTTING AN END TO THE COLONIALIST ETA, BRITAIN WOULD ENHANCE HER REPUTATION. MRS THATCHER CONTINUTED TO THE PRESENT TIME TO INSIST ON THE VALIDITY OF THE THREE TREATIES, WHEARAS IN FACT THESE WERE UNEQUAL TREATIES.

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