TNAG-1344-FCO40-1774-Despatch-from-Sir-Richard-Evans--British-Ambassador-to-China-1986 — Page 23

CONFIDENTIAL

BRITISH EMBASSY,

PEKING.

The Right Honourable

Sir Geoffrey Howe, QC, MP,

etc. etc. etc.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office LONDON SW 1.

12 November 1984

Sir,

THE FUTURE OF HONG KONG

The

1.

A few minutes after 10.00 am on 26 September, 1984, a Joint Declaration of the British and Chinese Governments on the Question of Hong Kong was initialled in Peking. Joint Declaration and its three annexes, together with an associated Exchange of Memoranda on Nationality, were pub- lished in London, Hong Kong and Peking at 7 p.m. (Peking time) on the same day.

2. In this despatch, I give some account of the process of discussion and negotiation which led to this outcome; comment on the negotiating strategy of the two sides; dis- cuss the shape of the negotiation; attempt an assessment of what has been achieved; and look a little into the future. I do not attempt to chronicle the process of discussion and negotiation. This has been done in short form in the Introduction to the White Paper on the Draft Agreement (Cmnd 9352) and will be done in greater detail in a paper which is being prepared by Research Department.

In any case, a chronicle would have to cover aspects of the process, such as consultation between Ministers in London and the unofficial members of the Executive Council in Hong Kong, about which I am not qualified to write.

CONFIDENTIAL

/ Process