TNAG-1324-FCO40-1736-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Parliamentary-debates-1984 — Page 133

CODE 18-77

HP 4/83

Jan (29)

CONFIDENTIAL

Mr Colquhoun, Planning Staff (K 115)

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FUTURE OF HONG KONG: FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEBATE, 22 MARGH

1.

2.

(28)

Please refer to your minute of today's date Mr Clift.

I have discussed your revised passage on Hong Kong with Mr Clift. In general it gives us no great difficulty in its re-ordered form, and the introductory passage seems fine. We do however have a number of comments which we should be grateful if you could take into account:

(i)

(ii)

Paragraph 8. The conjunction between references to British administration and to future change strikes us as rather sharp. In our view the notion of future change is sufficiently pointed up in paragraph 12.

Paragraph 9. We have similar doubts about the idea of "how to effect change". This suggests that we are positively anxious to bring about change. We should prefer a more neutral formulation.

(iii) Paragraph 10.

(iv)

The references to the risk of mutual misunderstanding and the need for great patience strike us as gratuitous.

It is now proposed that the Secretary of State should refer to his visits to both Peking and Hong Kong, although without mentioning dates.

3. I attach a further revision of the Hong Kong passage, which takes into account the above comments and also makes one or two minor editorial adjustments. If this causes you any difficulty, perhaps you could let us know this afternoon. We have undertaken to send an up-to-date text to Hong Kong.

20 March 1984

сбывш

CO Hum

Hong Kong Department WH 306 233 4381

CONFIDENTIAL

MKK040/31

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2 ATAR 19:4

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