From the Private Secretary
القليل سيل
CONFIDENTIAL
LY MON)
Mr. Poyell
No.
Not very helpful
MKTS
Pa di 17/2
10 DOWNING STREET
tik Kogeli
RECLAVEL YO HA ARRI
710 1901
25/Mr Luce DSLOUS
16 February 1984
118
네,
Sir Cradock Sir W Marding
Mr Donald
FO)
Hong Kong
16/2
Dr. David Owen told me in Moscow on 14 February that he felt he should pass on one or two points about his recent visit to China where he discussed the future of Hong Kong.
He believed that it would be tactically wrong to try to arrive at a detailed agreement with the Chinese by September. It would be better to let the Chinese have their sense of triumph by arriving at 'Heads of Agreement' by that time. Once that hurdle was passed, we would find it much easier to secure the agreement on detailed points which we wanted.
He did not believe that there would be any difficulty in securing the approval of the House of Commons for any agreement that was reached. Twenty or thirty people who did not understand the problem might make a fuss but nearly everyone in the House was well aware of the realities.
The Chinese had made a big point with him of what they termed 'insinuating Sovereignty'. They apparently meant by this that, although we were prepared to concede the principle of Sovereignty, we were seeking to retain it by various back-door methods.
I have brought these points to the attention of the Prime Minister.
THIS IS A COPY
THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN
CLOSED FOR
40 ...YEARS UNDER FOI EXEMPTION No.. 272
Peter Ricketts, Esq.,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Your ever
John Coles
CONFIDENTIAL
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