TNAG-1257-FCO40-1590-Third-countries-and-the-future-of-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 173

SECRET

29161

-

1

(506

PP OTTAWA

GPS 282

SECRET

FM FCO 02170OZ NOV 83

TO PRIORITY OTTAWA

TELEGRAM NUMBER 385 OF 2 NOVEMBER

THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

1.

HICK 040/5

RECEIVED IN REGISTHY

- 3 NOV 1983

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

REGISTRY

Buch Taken

PA

M

cmislil

पाड

ON 21 OCTOBER THE CANADIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER WROTE TO THE

PRIME MINISTER TO TRANSMIT A MESSAGE FROM MR TRUDEAU.

IT

RECORDED A CONVERSATION WHICH MR TRUDEAU HAD HAD WITH THE CHINESE

FOREIGN MINISTER ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG.

2. PLEASE NOW CONVEY TO MR TRUDEAU THE FOLLOWING REPLY:

BEGINS

DEAR PIERRE

I WAS GRATEFUL FOR YOUR MESSAGE PASSED TO ME BY YOUR HIGH

COMMISSIONER ON 21 OCTOBER. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS

ABOUT MY VISIT TO CANADA. I GREATLY ENJOYED MY STAY AND FOUND

OUR DISCUSSIONS MOST VALUABLE.

I WAS INTERESTED BY CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER WU XUEQIAN'S

RECENT COMMENTS TO YOU ABOUT HONG KONG. AS YOU SUGGEST, THEY

BROADLY REFLECT WHAT WE KNOW ALREADY OF CHINA'S PLAN FOR HONG

KONG AS A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION OF CHINA. THERE ARE,

HOWEVER, ONE OR TWO INTERESTING DIFFERENCES OF EMPHASIS WHICH

FURTHER UNDERLINE OUR BELIEF THAT THE CHINESE HAVE NOT FULLY

THOUGHT THROUGH THEIR PLAN.

THE LATEST ROUND OF SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON HONG KONG, WHICH

TOOK PLACE ON 19/20 OCTOBER, WAS AN ENCOURAGING ONE. CONFIDENCE

IN HONG KONG WAS STRENGTHENED BY THE JOINT STATEMENT WHICH

DESCRIBED THE ROUND AS USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE. THE NEXT SESSION

WILL BE HELD ON 14 AND 15 NOVEMBER, AGAIN IN PEKING. I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS IN PERSUADING THE CHINESE TO GET DOWN

TO MORE PRACTICAL DISCUSSIONS OF CONCRETE QUESTIONS. WE SHALL

KEEP YOU IN THE PICTURE AS THE TALKS PROCEED, IN PARTICULAR WITH

A VIEW TO PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG'S VISIT TO CANADA IN JANUARY.

YOURS EVER

MARGARET

1

SECRET