00 CANBERRA
OO WELLINGTON
PP PEKING
GRS 367
DE DI P
SECRET
FM FCO 161100Z NOV 83
DE DI P SECRET
HKK040 5
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 17 NOV 1983
OFFICER
PA
(572)
Lee (573)
TOP COPY
p?' CM2311
TO IMMEDIATE CANBERRA (PERSONAL FOR HIGH COMMISSIONER)
TELEGRAM NUMBER 383 OF 16 NOVEMBER
428
1
don Lake
see (574) (609) (607) (581)
AND TO IMMEDIATE OTTAWA (PERSONAL FOR HIGH COMMISSIONER)
IMMEDIATE WELLINGTON (PERSONAL FOR HIGH COMMISSIONER)
REPEATED FOR INFO PRIORITY PEKING (PERSONAL FOR AMBASSADOR),
PRIORITY HONG KONG
YOUR TELNO 580 (NOT TO OTTAWA OR WELLINGTON): FUTURE OF HONG KONG
: BRIEFING THE AUSTRALIANS
1.
YOU MAY USE THE FOLLOWING (ON WHICH OTTAWA AND WELLINGTON
MAY ALSO WISH TO DRAW FOR USE WITH THEIR SENIOR OFFICIAL CONTACTS)
TO BRING HENDERSON UP TO DATE.
2.
THE SIXTH ROUND OF SINO-BRITISH TALKS ON 14/15 NOVEMBER WAS
DESCRIBED IN AN AGREED STATEMENT AS 'USEFUL AND CONSTRUCTIVE'.
THE NEXT ROUND WILL BE ON 7/8 DECEMBER, AGAIN IN PEKING.
3.
THIS SESSION WAS HEAVIER GOING THAN THE LAST. THE CHINESE
RESTATED THEIR POSITION ON MATTERS OF PRINCIPLE. ALTHOUGH THEY
FLESHED OUT SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THEIR PROPOSALS FOR HONG KONG, IT IS CLEAR THAT THESE ARE STILL ONLY RUDIMENTARY.
4.
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.
5.
THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION OF HONG KONG'S LEGAL AND
FINANCIAL SYSTEMS. THE CHINESE SAID THAT IN KEEPING WITH THEIR
GENERAL PROPOSALS FOR HONG KONG, BOTH WOULD BE BASICALLY
UNCHANGED. BUT THERE ARE SIGNS THAT THEY STILL SEE THE ROAD TO
FURTHER PROGRESS IN THE TALKS IN TERMS OF AGREEMENT ON PRINCIPLES,
RATHER THAN SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION OF DETAILS AND PRACTICALIT-
IES. WE STRESSED THE NEED TO TACKLE DETAILS IF:-
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DEDI P SECRET
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