TNAG-1309-FCO40-1666-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 84

Mr Tift

SECRET

FROM:

D C Wilson

DATE:

2 April 1984

cc:

261

Sir P Cradock

Mr Galsworthy, Peking Mr McLaren, Hong Kong

FUTURE OF HONG KONG: MR EDMUND LAU

1. Edmund Lau (Hong Kong and Yaumatei Ferry Company and an honorary 'nephew' of Liao Chengzhi) came to see me this morning during the course of a business trip to London.

2.

Apart from general unhappiness about the prospects for a satisfactory agreement with China and the unfortunate timing of Jardines' move, what he said included only one point worth recording. This is that he had been told by Li Shuwen of NCNA that the type of agreement the Chinese were looking for was a generalised one which would lay out the 12 points plus some elaboration on eg freedom of travel and the possibility of BDTCs retaining their British Hong Kong passports after 1997.

Edmund Lau said he responded by

telling Li that it was essential that an agreement should contain a great deal of detail. He himself had earlier drafted a Charter for Hong Kong at the request of Liao Chengzhi. thought something on those lines was necessary.

He

3. I told Edmund Lau I thought it most important that the Chinese should realise that an agreement must contain sufficient detail and sufficient commitment to be convincing to business opinion in Hong Kong and worldwide.

See (269)

C Wilson

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