GRS 270
CONFIDENTIAL
DD 04093OZ
FROM PEKING 040835Z DEC 84
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
CONFIDENTIAL
4KK 04957.
RECEIVED IN REGITA
5 DEC 1984
DESK OFFICER
202
TELEGRAM NUMBER 2881 OF 4/12/84
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
FOR FED
INDEX
WP
YOUR TELNOS 1473 AND 1474 AND HONG KONG TEL NO 3685:
PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT TO CHINA: BANQUET SPEECH
PA
1. THANK YOU FOR GIVING US A SIGHT OF YOUR FIRST DRAFT OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S BANQUET SPEECH. WE HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT SEVERAL OF THE JUDGEMENTS IN PARAGRAPHS 5 TO 11 AND MORE GENERALLY FEEL THAT THEY COULD BE MADE MORE LUCID. MIFT CONTAINS OUR SUGGESTED REDRAFT OF THESE PARAGRAPHS. AS
YOU WILL SEE, WE HAVE RE-ORDERED AND REDUCED IN LENGTH YOUR EARLIER DRAFT. IN PARTICULAR, WE HAVE TRIED TO CUT OUT THE SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS THAT THERE IS GREAT SIMILARITY OF EXPERIENCE AND OUTLOOK BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. THIS IS HARDLY THE CASE AND WE DOUBT WHETHER THE PRIME MINISTER WOULD WISH PUBLICLY TO DRAW CLOSE PARALLELS BETWEEN THEM.
2. WE LIKED HONG KONG'S SUGGESTION FOR A QUOTATION AND HAVE INCORPORATED IT INTO OUR REDRAFT.
3. AS REGARDS PARAGRAPHS ONE TO FOUR OF THE DRAFT, WE HAVE ONLY ONE SUGGESTION: 1.E. TO EXPAND PARAGRAPH TWO TO INCLUDE A SENTENCE ALONG THESE LINES: '' SAID THAT I WAS HEARTENED BY THE REPEATED ASSURANCES OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT THAT THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR HONG KONG CONTAINED IN THE AGREEMENT
WERE NOT MEASURES OF EXPEDIENCY.''
THIS MIGHT CONVENIENTLY COME BEFORE THE LAST SENTENCE.
4. SEPARATELY, I HAVE ONE FURTHER COMMENT ON THE SIGNAUTRE SPEECH IN YOUR TEL NO 2345. THIS IS THAT THE PHRASE 'WHEREBY IT WILL ADMINISTER ITSELF IN PARAGRAPH 6 MIGHT BE TAKEN BY THE CHINESE AS IMPLYING THAT HONG KONG WILL BE QUASI-INDEPENDENT.
I SUGGEST IT BE REPLACED BY WHEREBY HONG KONG PEOPLE WILL ADMINISTER HONG KONG AND WHEREBY THE SAR WILL ETC......
EVANS
LIMITED
FEL
HKD
PLANNING STAFF MR WILSON
COPIES TO:- SIR P CRADOCK
CONFIDENTI AL
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