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FM FCO 251830Z NOVEMBER 83
TO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON (PERSONAL FOR AMBASSADOR)
TELEGRAM NUMBER 1995 OF 25 NOVEMBER
INFO PRIORITY PEKING (PERSONAL FOR AMBASSADOR)
PRIORITY HONG KONG
FUTURE OF HONG KONG: BRIEFING THE AMERICANS
LIKK040|5
NCEIVED IN LE
1. YOU MAY USE THE FOLLOWING TO BRING YOUR SENIOR OFFICIAL
CONTACTS UP TO DATE ON A STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL BASIS.
2. THE SIXTH ROUND OF SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON 14/15 NOVEMBER WAS
AGAIN DESCRIBED IN AN AGREED STATEMENT AS 'USEFUL AND CONSTRUCT-
IVE'.
THE NEXT ROUND WILL BE ON 7/8 DECEMBER, AGAIN IN PEKING.
3. OUR STRATEGY WAS TO CONTINUE TO INDUCE CHINESE TO CONCENTRATE ON DETAILED DISCUSSION OF PRACTICAL MEASURES ESSENTIAL TO HONG
KONG'S STABILITY AND PROSPERITY.
4. THE NOVEMBER ROUND WAS HEAVIER GOING THAN THE LAST. THE
CHINESE FIRMLY RESTATED THEIR POSITION ON ALL MATTERS OF PRINCIPLE
ALTHOUGH THEY FLESHED OUT SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THEIR PROPOSALS
FOR HONG KONG AS A SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION (SAR) OF CHINA,
IT IS CLEAR THAT THESE ARE STILL ONLY RUDIMENTARY.
5.
JB
THE CHINESE SAID THEY WERE READY TO HEAR OUR VIEWS ON
PRACTICAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR HONG KONG AFTER 1997. BUT THEY
MAINTAINED THAT ONLY WHERE 'BRITISH INTERESTS' WERE DIRECTLY
INVOLVED COULD THERE BE DETAILED DISCUSSIONS. THEY SAID THAT
AREAS OTHER THAN THESE WERE ESSENTIALLY CHINA'S INTERNAL AFFAIR.
SOME WERE MATTERS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE FUTURE GOVERNMENT OF THE
'HONG KONG CHINA' SAR AND THUS BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE CURRENT
NEGOTIATIONS.
6. THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION OF HONG KONG'S LEGAL AND FINANCIAL
SYSTEMS, ON WHICH WE HAD GIVEN THE CHINESE INFORMAL WORKING
PAPERS AS A BASIS FOR DISCUSSION. THE CHINESE SAID THAT IN
KEEPING WITH THEIR GENERAL PROPOSALS FOR HONG KONG, BOTH SYSTEMS
WOULD BE BASICALLY UNCHANGED. BUT THEY STRESSED THAT 'COLONIALLY
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