TNAG-1332-FCO40-1762-Future-of-Hong-Kong-White-Paper-on-the-Joint-Declaration-1984 — Page 325

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DESKBY 0710OOZ

FM HONG KONG 07090OZ AUG 84

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 2276 OF 7 AUGUST

+1110098/50

RSCEVED

-7 AUG 1934

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

JAK

OUR TELNO 1538 : FUTURE OF HONG KONG : ADMINISTRATION : PREPARATION OF WHITE PAPER ON THE AGREEMENT.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF POINTS WHICH NEED TO BE CLEARED UP SO THAT PLANNING FOR THE PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE WHITE PAPER IS PROPERLY COORDINATED BETWEEN LONDON AND HONG KONG. WE HAVE NO (NO) OBJECTION TO THE GENERAL PROCEDURE OUTLINED IN PARA 4 OF YOUR TUR, AND ASSUME THAT THERE WILL BE NO COPYRIGHT DIFFICULTIES, PARTICULARLY SINCE HONG KONG NEWSPAPERS ARE ALSO LIKELY TO WISH TO REPRINT SOME IF NOT ALL OF THE WHITE PAPER. WE SEE EVERY ADVANTAGE IN PERMITTING THEM TO DO SO, BECAUSE THIS WILL GREATLY AID DISSEM- INATION OF ITS CONTENTS AMONGST THE POPULATION.

2. THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SHA'S SPEECH ON THE TEST OF ACCEPT- ABILITY IN PARA 1(C) OF YOUR TELNO 1541 IMPLIES THAT THERE WILL BE A DELAY BETWEEN INITIALLING AND PUBLICATION OF THE WHITE PAPER. WE HAVE ASSUMED THAT THE TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT SHOULD NOT (NOT) BE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC IN HONG KONG WITHOUT THE EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM AND THAT THERE WOULD BE A MINISTERIAL STATEMENT AND AN ADDRESS ON THE AGREEMENT TO THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON THE SAME DAY AS THE INITIALLING CEREMONY IN PEKING, WHICH WOULD PRESUMABLY ALSO BE A PUBLIC OCCASION. THIS WOULD MEAN THAT THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A GAP BETWEEN REACHING FINAL AGREEMENT IN THE NEGOTIATIONS AND INIT- TALLING. SINCE AT BEST THIS GAP IS UNLIKELY TO BE MORE THAN A WEEK, IT WILL BE ESSENTIAL FOR WORK ON THE EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM TO BEGIN BEFORE THE NEGOTIATIONS ARE CONCLUDED. AS SEEN FROM HERE, SOME PARTS OF THE MEMORANDUM COULD BE DRAFTED NOW. THIS WOULD ENABLE US TO PUT TEXTS ON OUR ENGLISH AND CHINESE LANGUAGE WORD PROCESSORS WHICH WOULD MAKE PRODUCTION OF A FINAL TEXT EASIER. WE ARE LIKELY TO NEED AT LEAST 200,000 COPIES, WHICH WILL BE A MAJOR PRINTING TASK. WE SHALL HAVE TO GET AS MUCH OF THE FINAL TEXT TO THE GOVERNMENT PRINTER IN ADVANCE AS POSSIBLE (AND WILL TAKE APPROP- RIATE SECURITY PRECAUTIONS TO ENSURE CONFIDENTIALITY).

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