TNAG-1338-FCO40-1770-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 83

GR 1650

CONFIDENTIAL

FUTURE EGRET

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG 221015Z NOV 84

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 3572 OF 22 NOVEMBER

MIPT. PRIME MINISTER'S SPEECH IN HONG KONG.

HKK 040/57

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

T23 NOV 1984 DESK OR COPY

OF

INDEX

PA

120)

REGISTRY

Action Taken

FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF DRAFT SPEECH.

BEGINS

m

t

I HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM PEKING, WHERE PREMIER ZHAO ZIYANG AND I SIGNED THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION ON BEHALF OF OUR RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS. IT IS FITTING THAT THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SIGNED BY TWO PRIME MINISTERS. THOSE SIGNATURES RECOGNISED THE HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DOCUMENT ITSELF. THEY SIGNIFIED ALSO THE FULL COMMITMENT OF OUR TWO GOVERNMENTS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT IN THE YEARS TO COME.

2. I HAVE, THROUGHOUT THE NEGOTIATING PROCESS BEEN CONSCIOUS THAT WE WERE CONCERNED NOT ONLY WITH THE SOLUTION OF A LONGSTANDING ISSUE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM'S RELATIONS WITH CHINA. WHAT WAS AT STAKE WAS THE FUTURE OF A COMMUNITY FOR WHICH BRITAIN HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR NEARLY 150 YEARS. THE GROWTH OF HONG KONG, IN THE POST-WAR YEARS, ITS ECONOMIC SUCCESS EVEN IN DIFFICULT TIMES, TESTIFIES TO THE SUCCESS OF THAT ADMINISTRATION. IT PROVIDED THE FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP TO THE FULL THEIR REMARKABLE TALENTS. IT PROVIDED A PROGRESSIVE AND RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT, SUBJECT TO THE RULE OF LAW. WHATEVER THE HISTORICAL CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HONG KONG AND BRITAIN BEGAN, THE LEGACY OF THAT ASSOCIATION IS A SOURCE OF JUSTIFIABLE

PRIDE.

3. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THE AGREEMENT WHICH RESULTED FROM TWO YEARS OF INTENSE NEGOTIATION IS A GOOD ONE WHICH WILL ENABLE THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG TO CONTINUE TO FACE THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE. IT HAS BEEN WIDELY RECOGNISED IN HONG KONG AND ABROAD THAT IT PROVIDES FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN YOUR UNIQUE SOCIETY. A FAIR PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT HAS SHOWN THAT THE AGREEMENT AS A WHOLE IS

ACCEPTABLE TO HONG KONG PEOPLE. IT WAS ESSENTIAL FOR PARLIAMENT

TO KNOW THIS BEFORE IT COULD AUTHORIZE ME TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT.

THE PROCESS OF ASSESSING HONG KONG OPINION WAS THEREFORE A REAL AND

IMPORTANT EXERCISE. WHERE THERE WERE RESERVATIONS EXPRESSED ON INDIVIDUAL POINTS IN THE AGREEMENT THESE CAN BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT

WHEN WE BEGIN THE TASK OF PUTTING THE AGREEMENT INTO EFFECT.

4. IT IS VERY NATURAL THAT, WITH AN AGREEMENT OF THIS KIND, PEOPLE SHOULD ASK WHETHER ITS FAR-REACHING PROVISIONS WILL IN THE

EVENT BE IMPLEMENTED. THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE GUARANTEE IN THIS WORLD

OF ANYTHING. BUT I BRING TO YOU THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE COMMITMENT

ON THE PART OF HER MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT TO DO ITS UTMOST TO ENSURE

THAT THE AGREEMENT WORKS, AND I BRING FROM MY TALKS IN PEKING WITH

ALL THE SENIOR LEADERS THERE A SIMILAR COMMITMENT TO THE FAITHFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT ON THEIR PART SQUARE BRACKETS BEGIN INSERT ANY USABLE QUOTATION FROM THE DISCUSSIONS IN PEKING SQUARE CONFIDENTIAL BRACKETS END.

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