TNAG-1311-FCO40-1673-Future-of-Hong-Kong-1984 — Page 12

TT HONG KONG

GRS 213

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

HKK 040/!

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY 2 8 DEC 1984

DESK OFFICER

INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

987

-

Se

1988

TELELETTER

FROM CO HUM, HKD

DATED 19 DECEMBER 84

JAM

Tite

31/42

FOLLOWING FOR R P MARGOLIS, DEPUTY POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG

D G BLUNT, PEKING

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: ARTICLE BY CHINESE LEGAL EXPERT982 1. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TELELETTER OF 8 DECEMBER ABOUT THE

ARTICLE BY ZHANG YOUYU.

2. WE HAD IN FACT SPOTTED THE ARTICLE IN THE SUMMARY OF WORLD

BROADCASTS AND NOTED ITS VERY UNHELPFUL DEFINITION OF EXISTING

LAWS'. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED HERE THAT WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW THIS

VIEW TO STAND UNCHALLENGED, AND THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO GET OUR

INTERPRETATION OF THE TERM PUT ACROSS IN HONG KONG IN A FURTHER,

GHOSTED ARTICLE.

3. WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VIEWS ON THIS. WE ARE A

LITTLE DOUBTFUL, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. WE NOTE THAT THIS

POINT IN THE ARTICLE HAS NOT BEEN PICKED UP ELSEWHERE IN THE HONG

KONG PRESS. A REBUTTAL, EITHER DIRECT OR IMPLIED, MIGHT WELL

ONLY HAVE THE EFFECT OF BRINGING THE POINT TO PUBLIC ATTENTION

AND CAUSING UNHELPFUL DISCUSSION AND SPECULATION. MORE

SERIOUSLY, IT COULD DRAW FROM THE CHINESE A MORE OFFICIAL

RESTATEMENT OF THEIR OWN VIEW, WHICH COULD ONLY INCREASE CONCERN.

4. OUR INSTINCT THEREFORE IS TO LET MATTERS REST, WHILE NOTING

THAT THIS POINT SEEMS BOUND TO GIVE US FURTHER TROUBLE IN OUR

FUTURE EXCHANGES WITH THE CHINESE SIDE.

SIGNED C O HUM

1

CONFIDENTIAL