TNAG-1257-FCO40-1590-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 164

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HKK0405

PP PEKING

GRS 726

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FM FCO 031430Z NOVEMBER 83

TO PRIORITY PEKING

TELEGRAM NUMBER 759 OF 3 NOVEMBER

INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG, ROUTINE WASHINGTON

RECEIVED IN NE

1983

Actor

и снош

YOUR TEL 1125 : MR LUCE'S MEETING WITH WOLFOWITZ : FUTURE OF HONG

KONG

1.

FOLLOWING ARE MAIN POINTS OF DISCUSSION. FULL RECORD FOLLOWS

BY BAG.

2. MR LUCE SAID THE ESSENTIAL PROBLEM WAS HOW TO MAINTAIN HONG

KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF 1997.

HE BELIEVED MOST HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED MORE WITH

ENSURING THE CONTINUATION OF THEIR CURRENT LIFESTYLE AND FREEDOMS

THAN WITH THE MECHANICS OF DOING SO. CHINESE RIGIDITY OVER

SOVEREIGNTY/RIGHT OF ADMINISTRATION SHOULD BE SEEN IN TERMS OF

NATIONAL PRIDE AND SENSITIVITY ABOUT THE PRACTICAL MANIFESTATIONS

OF THE UNEQUAL' TREATIES. THE CHINESE HAD SAID THAT ONCE WE

ACCEPTED THEIR PREMISE ON THESE ISSUES, ANYTHING ELSE WAS

NEGOTIABLE.

3. WE HAD INITIALLY TRIED IN THE TALKS TO AMPLIFY CHINESE

UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO PRESERVE HONG KONG'S

STABILITY SEMI COLON BUT IT WAS DOUBTFUL IF PEKING UNDERSTOOD.

THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG NEEDED EFFECTIVE GUARANTEES AGAINST

CHINESE INTERFERENCE IN THEIR AFFAIRS. DISCUSSION HAD THUS

CENTRED ON THE EXTENT OF THE BRITISH LINK NECESSARY TO PROVIDE

EFFECTIVE INSULATION. SO FAR WE HAD MADE THE RUNNING IN THE

TALKS. THE CHINESE HAD BEEN INTRANSIGENT ON SOVEREIGNTY/RIGHT OF

ADMINISTRATION AND UNFORTHCOMING ON THEIR OWN PROPOSALS FOR HONG

KONG, WHICH HAD PROBABLY NOT BEEN FULLY WORKED OUT. WE HOPED FOR A SETTLEMENT WHICH WOULD SATISFY BOTH SIDES ON SOVEREIGNTY/RIGHT OF ADMINISTRATION, AND WOULD ENSHRINE SPECIFIC GUARANTEES FOR HONG KONG. WE HAD TOLD THE CHINESE THAT THE CRUCIAL QUESTION WAS

WHETHER PARLIAMENT WOULD ACCEPT WHAT WAS PROPOSED. THE

ATMOSPHERE AT THE 19/20 OCTOBER ROUND HAD BEEN CONSIDERABLY

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