TNAG-1310-FCO40-1667-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 93

LEAD IN

HONG KONG BRIEFING: LEAD-IN

Debate on 15 May will be first significant

opportunity for HK to be discussed on the Floor of the

House. But a good deal of discussion already in the

HK backbench group; and between FCO Ministers and

interested MPs.

Parliamentary involvement likely to increase as year

goes on. Possibility of further full-scale debate in

autumn.

Government's decision to open question of HK with

Chinese during PM's visit in September 1982 was careful

and deliberate. We had to weigh:

i)

pressures within HK for reassurance about medium and

long term;

ii) commercial pressures: problems of land leases, etc;

iii) need to get Chinese leadership and likely successors

thinking about HK;

iv)

desirability of beginning process of explaining to

Chinese the complexities of HK and how it functions.

Although some people now voicing doubts, overwhelming

majority of HK opinion satisfied we were right to ventilate

issue in 1982.