TNAG-1310-FCO40-1667-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 50

1

(73)

CONFIDENTIAL

YIKK040/1.

RECEIVED IN LEGEMERY *S HAY 1984

From: J Houston Date: 8 May 1984 ccl PSA Mr Luce

PS/PUS

TRY

vation Inken

Mr Clift, HKD

V

Mr Goulden, News Dept Miss Neville-Jones,

Planning Staff Sir P Cradock

Secretary of State

HONG KONG

1.

The attached article by Godfrey Darkser, which you have no doubt seen, provides a useful guide to the kind of criticisms we face from "Salisbury Club" Tories and others. Overall Parliamentary and media reaction has been reasonable so far, but the issue is one which is difficult on any conceivable result to present as a triumph for British diplomaccy. On the other hand, it fits easily into a framework of prejudice that the Foreign Office is still dominateed by post-colonial feebleness and a willingness to sell our friends down the river at the first opportunity.

י,

2.

Against this background, we have a need to demonstrate that we have negotiated toughly and played all available cards to gain the key points. I do not know enough about the negotiations to identify these, or to suggest how it should be domonstrated that we have pushead matters to the limit. But I am convinced that, even with bipartisanship at Westminster, the potential public sympathy with a friendly, economically liberal society whose spokesmen were willing to claim they had been let down,, would be enormous. It could be that the issues of ciemocratization (and the whole nexus of "self-determination" arguments related to it), nationality, and Chinese defence policy intentions would be crucial' in the political presentation.

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CONFIDENTIAL