TNAG-1343-FCO40-1773-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Beijing-fo-1984 — Page 92

The Prime Minister's speaking notes

notes cover the following aspects of future co-operation with the Chinese Government as follows:

(a)

(b)

(c)

Implementation of the agreement. Chinese leaders have

made reassuring statements on China's commitments. The

Prime Minister may be able to prompt further such

statements. It would be helpful if these were in a form

which could be quoted in Hong Kong.

Joint Liaison Group. In the first part of next year

year we

shall be discussing with the Chinese the detailed working

procedures for the Group and its agenda. We need to

convince the Chinese that

that we mean business in the Joint

Liaison Group.

Drafting of the Basic Law. We accept that the drafting

The

of the Basic Law is a matter for the Chinese Government.

We wish to impress on them, however, the need to consult a representative cross section of Hong Kong opinion.

Chinese have expressed readiness to consult Hong Kong

people, but they have made conflicting statements on the

form that this consultation should take. We also hope

that we should be able to influence the drafting of the

Basic Law more directly, through the Joint Liaison Group.

(d) Chinese fears of disruption in Hong Kong during the

(e)

transitional period. We may need to reassure Chinese leaders, and in particular Deng, that we will administer Hong Kong soundly and that we have no intention of

either encouraging or benefiting from a flight of

capital.

Constitutional development. We have kept the Chinese

informed of the proposals in the Hong Kong Government Green and White papers on Constitutional development, but have not consulted them. The Chinese have maintained a non-committal position. They do not

feel bound by the changes that we are introducing but have not opposed them. They appear to suspect that

CONFIDENTIAL