TNAG-1345-FCO40-1775-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Joint-Liaison-Group-1984 — Page 6

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CONFIDENTIAL

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Future

CONFIDENT POP COPY

MKK 040/59

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

DESKDY 2013007

FM HONG KONG 22031OZ DEC 24

TO IMMEDIATE F C O

TELEGRAM NUMBER 3255 OF 28 DECEMBER

INFO PRIORITY PEKING

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STAY

PA

JAY

Action Ten

RESIDENT CLERK PLEASE PASS FOLLOWING PERSONAL TO DAVID WILSON,

AUS ASIA AND HEAD OF MINS DEPT FROM GOVERNOR.

1. THERE IS CRITICAL COMMENT IN TWO PAPERS THIS MORNING ABOUT THE

EXCHANGE AT THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE YESTERDAY ON

WHETHER OR NOT I WOULD BE A MEMBER OF THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP ON

THE LINES THAT THERE IS NOW CONFUSION OVER MY POLE.

2. AS YOU KNOW, THERE WOULD BE VERY SUBSTANTIAL DIFFICULTY ABOUT

BY JOINING THE GROUP. SINCE IT WILL MEET SOMETIMES IN HONG KONG

AND I COULD NOT SIT AS NUMBER 2 IN MY OWN TERRITORY I WOULD HAVE

TO SE LEADER OF THE BRITISH SIDE. POLITICALLY THIS WOULD BE SEEN

HERE AS GIVING THE GROUP A VERY HIGH PROFILE AND PUTTING IT ON

A PAR WITH HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WHICH WOULD BE DISTURBING LOCALLY.

THERE WOULD ALSO BE GREAT PROBLEMS WITH THE CHINESE NOT ONLY AS

REGARDS MY STATUS AT ANY MEETING IN PEKING BUT BECAUSE THE

INDICATIONS ARE THAT THEY DO NOT INTEND TO APPOINT ANYONE SO SENIOR

ON THEIR SIDE. I COULD NOT SIT OPPOSITE MORE JUNIOR CHINESE

OFFICIALS LIKE LU PING AND LI CHUWEN WHO ARE TIPPED AS THEIR

PROBABLE CANDIDATES FOR LEADERSHIP. NOR COULD I GIVE THE GROUP THE

FULL-TIME ATTENTION WHICH WILL BE REQUIRED AS ITS WORK-LOAD GROWS.

1

3. IT WOULD NOT HOWEVER BE WISE TO GO INTO ALL THIS NOW. IN ANSWER

TO QUESTIONS WE SHALL THEREFORE DECLINE TO ADD ANYTHING TO WHAT

WAS SAID AT THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE. IF THERE IS MORE

PRESSING DEMAND FOR A STATEMENT WE WILL SAY THAT THERE WILL BE

NOTHING TO ADD TO WHAT WAS SAID AT THE PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS

CONFERENCE UNTIL AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE

BRITISH TEAM ON THE GROUP IS MADE AND THAT WILL NOT BE FOR SOME

TIME YET'',

CONFIDENTIAL

FC040/1775

14.