TNAG-1378-FCO40-1826-Future-of-Hong-Kong-legislation-Hong-Kong-Bill-1985 — Page 113

CONFIDENTIAL

133

5366

1

00 HONG KONG

GRS 271

CONFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 081450Z FEBRUARY 85

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELEGRAM NUMBER 232 OF 8 FEBRUARY

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

FOR GOVERNOR FROM GALSWORTHY

HONG KONG BILL: HOUSE OF LORDS

1.

HUK 040/21.03 201

w

WE UNDERSTAND FROM THE WHIPS THAT THE HONG KONG BILL WILL

PROBABLY BE DEALT WITH ON THE FOLLOWING TIMETABLE IN THE LORDS:

19 FEBRUARY

14 MARCH

:

SECOND READING

:

COMMITTEE AND REPORT STAGE

::

THIRD READING

1 APRIL

(APART FROM 19 FEBRUARY THESE DATES ARE TENTATIVE AND WE WOULD BE

GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD KEEP THEM CONFIDENTIAL.) IF ANY LORDS'

AMENDMENTS ARE PASSED IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO RETURN TO THE

COMMONS TO RESOLVE ANY DIFFERENCES. APART FROM THAT, ROYAL

ASSENT COULD PROBABLY BE NOTIFIED WITHIN TWO WEEKS.

2.

THIS MEANS THAT WE MAY BE IN A POSITION TO RATIFY THE

AGREEMENT AS EARLY AS MID-APRIL. IF THE NPC MEETS IN MARCH THE

CHINESE WILL PRESUMABLY ALSO BE READY BY THAT DATE. IT WILL NOT

BE EASY TO PRODUCE CONVINCING REASONS TO DELAY RATIFICATION FOR

VERY LONG IF THE CHINESE PRESS US, WITHOUT AROUSING SUSPICION ON

THEIR PART THAT WE ARE 'UP TO TRICKS'. WE SHOULD IN ANY CASE

WISH TO COMPLETE RATIFICATION BEFORE ZHAO'S VISIT IN EARLY JUNE.

3. IN YOUR TELNO 3798 YOU SUGGESTED THAT A DATE TOWARDS THE END

OF MAY MIGHT BE ACCEPTABLE TO YOU. IF WE WERE TO GO FOR A DATE

AT THAT TIME THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR TRYING TO

DELAY THE LAST STAGES IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS A BIT. BEFORE WE

SUBMIT TO MINISTERS WE WOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR A MORE PRECISE

ESTIMATE OF WHEN YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE NECESSARY

LEGISLATION OUTLINED IN PARA 2 OF YOUR TELNO 3798 AND THE

IMPORTANT LAND TRANSATIONS OUTLINED IN PARA (F) OF YOUR TELNO

262.

HOWE

HONG KONG AGREEMENT

LIMITED

HD/HKD

HD/FED

HD/PLANNING STAFF

HD/PUSD

DEP HD/PUSD

RESEARCH DEPT (MR WALKER)

PS

PS/MR LUCE

PS/PUS

LADY YOUNG,

COPIES TO:(VIA ADR)

MR ROBERTS, NEWS DEPT

MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS

MR BURROWS, LEGAL ADVISERS

MR MARTIN, ASST STAFF CABINET

OFFICE

MR CARTLEDGE. CABINET OFFICE ER D B C CHRISTOPHER, CABINET OFF. SIR P CRADOCK, NO 10 DOWNING ST

SIR W HARD ING

MR WILSON

SIR J FREELAND

MR J CROWLEY, PUSD

CONFIDENTIAL.