TNAG-1312-FCO40-1687-Future-of-Hong-Kong-views-and-involvement-of-Australia--Cana-1984 — Page 91

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FUTURE OF HONG KONG: BRIEFING OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS

1.

Ms Halliday of the New Zealand High Commission called today to discuss developments in the talks. She had last called on 13 1 December.

2.

(18) To put her in the picture, I drew on our telegram No 40 of 26 January to Canberra, (copied to Wellington), on which Wellington have taken action locally. In reply to specific questions I said that:

(i) The change of leadership in the Chinese negotiating team did

not reflect either a "downgrading" of the talks or a "new" ie even more detailed, phase.

(ii)

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We, like the Chinese, hoped for a bilateral agreement as soon as possible. What the Chinese had said about a unilateral statement in September 1984 was to a large extent counter- balanced by their evident wish for a bilateral statement agreemers.

(iii) At this stage in the talks we were continuing the process of

exploring Chinese ideas for Hong Kong without prejudice. Although matters such as The transitional period between now and 1997 would need to be covered in the course of the talks, our immediate objective was to get a picture of the overall package of Chinese proposals to see if it could provide a basis for arrangements of lasting value to Hong Kong.

The time to discuss transitional arrangements would be when we had an idea of what it looked as though we might finally be transitting to.

(iv)

(v)

3.

Recent press coverage about timing of any likely agreement was simply speculation. No overall timetable had been agreed for the talks although we were proceeding with them as quickly as possible. The important thing, however, was to reach the right solution.

It was premature to speculate about the precise form that any final agreement might take. A variety of forms was possible. Nevertheless, it was probably true to say that the Chinese would be unlikely to be receptive to any arrangements which to them smacked of "international interference" in "their" affairs.

Ms Halliday was grateful for this briefing.

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