CONFIDENTIAL
5. It is very natural that people should ask whether the
far-reaching provisions in this agreement will really be implemented. cannot give you absolute guarantees about the future: no-one can. But I bring to you the strongest possible commitment on the part of Her Majesty's Government.
We shall do our utmost to ensure that the agreement works. And I bring from my talks in Peking with the most senior
Chinese leaders a similar commitment. They assured me for
their part that the agreement would be faithfully implemented. [insert any usable quotation from the discussions in Peking].
6. I understand your concerns. One of them is about
nationality questions. This was bound to be difficult, and
it was.
What we have done is to find a practical way to
allow the benefits which people have now to be preserved for
the lifetime of the generation alive in 1997.
I know you are
anxious that other countries will not accept the new
passports after 1997. There will be no justification for
third countries to impose new restrictions on the freedom of
entry of Hong Kong people holding the new form of passport
after 1997. The British Government regards it as part of its
continuing responsibility for Hong Kong to explain this fact
clearly to all the countries concerned. We will devote all
necessary efforts to doing so. I think we shall find other
countries ready to listen to
international reception which has been given to this
agreement.
CONFIDENTIAL
I
am very struck by the warm
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