TNAG-1332-FCO40-1762-Future-of-Hong-Kong-White-Paper-on-the-Joint-Declaration-1984 — Page 231

*

THE COURSE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS

SECRET

Ins

now * 1-her-

mifly v +2

blated disilam

Ta dacioni

was a

Eaten?

and

9. The Prime Minister's visit was followed by the first phase of plody negotiations conducted by H M Ambassador, Peking and the Chinese Foreign Ministry. These consisted of exchanges between the two sides on the basis on which the negotiations would be conducted,

on the agenda. On 1 July 1983 it was announced that the second phase of the talks would begin in Peking on 12 July. The pattern of negotiation in the second phase, which was continued until the end of the negotiations, was for formal rounds of talks to be held between delegations led by HM Ambassador in Peking and a

Vice-Minister of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, supplemented as necessary by informal contacts between the two delegations. The Governor of Hong Kong took part in every round of formal talks as

member of the British delegation.

Extensive

however

a

10. In the course of the negotiations the British side put forward a number of background and working papers. The background papers explained the systems which prevail in Hong Kong and the importance

for these systems of the British administrative role and link.

Sunce Following discussion of these papers, it became clear that in the Chinese view sovereignty and the right of administration over Hong Kong were inseparable, at no continuation of British administration after 1997 would be aceptable to China. The British

side therefore proposed that the two sides discuss what effective

measures other than continued British administration might be

devised to maintain the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and

explore further the Chinese ideas which had at that stage been

explained to them, in order to see whether China and Britain could

construct on this basis arrangements which would ensure lasting

stability and prosperity for Hong Kong. The Chinese side were told that if this process was successful, the British Government would recommend to Parliament a bilateral agreement enshrining the arrangements. The British Government also undertook/to assist in the implementation of such arrangements, and to recommend to Parliament that sovereignty and administrative control

pass to China.

Following this, the British side presented to the

Chinese a series of working papers which took as the basis for discussion China's proposals for Hong Kong as a Special

in Excert

SECRET