TNAG-1308-FCO40-1665-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 96

CONFIDENTIAL

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RECEIVE. I D'STRY

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8 MAR 1984

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PA

INDEX

Mr Clift, Hong Kong Dept

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51

Visit by Secretary of State to Peking and Hong Kong

The Secretary of State has seen your submission of 5 March together with the comments by Mr Luce.

He accepts your recommendation that he should visit Peking and Hong Kong in the week beginning 15 April, spend Easter in the region, and make visits to Korea and Japan from 23-27 April as previously proposed. I should be

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grateful for your advice on when we should leave in order to provide the right amount of time in Peking and Hong Kong. I shall also be discussing separately with FED where we might aim to spend the Easter break.

The Secretary of State envisages making a major statement on the future of Hong Kong while in Hong Kong. He has been giving thought to the parliamentary implications of this, taking account of Mr Luce's comments. His present thinking is that we should work out a staged process of unveiling the position reached in the negotiations. His evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 14 March, and his opening statement in the Foreign Affairs Debate which is likely to take place before Easter would both form elements in this. He has it in mind that his statement in Hong Kong might be printed as a White Paper, and that we should aim for a debate in the House on the basis of this White Paper in the two weeks following his return from the Far East. He does not feel it necessary to aim for a statement on the day Parliament resumes. The Secretary of State has had an initial discussion on all this with the Chief Whip and the Leader of the House and will be considering the subject further with them. Meanwhile, it would be useful if the Legal Advisers could let us have a note on any useful precedents, for instance, from the negotiations leading up to our joining the European Community. The Secretary of State raised this briefly with Sir I Sinclair at an office meeting several weeks ago.

7 March 1984

cc: PS/Mr Luce

PS/PUS

Sir P Cradock

PRicketts

(P F Ricketts)

Miss Neville-Jones, Planning Sta Mr Roberts, News Department Protocol Dept

Sir W Harding

Sir I Sinclair

Dr Wilson

Mr Burrows, Legal Advisers

Mr Thomson, FED

CONFIDENTIAL