TNAG-1331-FCO40-1758-Future-of-Hong-Kong-test-of-the-acceptability-of-the-Joint-D-1984 — Page 239

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to the wisdom of Lyndon Baines Johnson, possibly the best horse trader since Hobson, but who to-day would rank a poor third after China and Great Britain if the straight. (strait jacket?) choice to the people of Hong Kong was allowed to stand:

'If two men agree on everything, you can bet your last sweet smelling dollar 'enly one of them is doing all the thinking.'

1. The Government of the People's Republic of China declares that to reco- 'ver the Hong Kong area (including Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New "Territories, hereinafter referred to as Hong Kong) is the common aspiration 'of the entire Chinese people, and that it has decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong with effect from 1 July 1997.

14. The Government of the thited Kingdom declares that it will restore Hong

Pong to the People's Republic of China with effect from 1 July 1997.' (The emphasis is mine.)

Against the background of our assumptions, the Joint Declaration is off to a bad start. It doesn't seem to reflect the friendly spirit of cooperation in which both parties had worked together to arrive at an honourable, viable and lesting solution, that would effectively and smoothly eliminate the vestigial irritant left over from history.

Can this be remedied? Yes, salutarily, because whereas, on the one hand, the proposed remely will neither change the substance of the Joint Declaration, nor water dom its effectiveness in any way, on the other hand, the Joint Declaration will now be seen to reflect the true spirit of friendship.we have repeatedly been assured animated the 'TALKS', and be freed of the gnawing feeling that they were just empty verbiage over a 'fait accompli'.

And painiessly tro, because it will also remove the evidence that both parties had failed in this respect, and promptly erase their attendant loss of face, which otherwise would linger on, because the only reason they can give to explain this failure their zealous haste as they were hont on meeting a do-or-die deadline, is not really a good excuse at all.

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Because it is salutary and painless, and more of the nature of a subtle dif- · ference, by itself just an abstract nicety with neither economic nor political significance, the proposed remedy is commended with the same candour and self-assuredness, but with less forcefulness, to both China and Great Britain, as they are commending the Joint Declaration to the people of Hong Kong, as follows:

J.

The Government. of the United Kingdom, respectful of the aspiration of the Chinese people, declares that it will restore Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, together with the leased New Territories, (hereinafter referred to as Hong Kong), to the People's Republic of China, consequent on the expiration of the New Territories Lease, with effect from 1 July 1997.

The Government of the People's Republic of China declares that it will resume the exercise of sovereignty over on Feng with effect from 1 July 1997.