1.
CONFIDENTIAL
and
it would allow
agreement so that the areas concerned do not count towards the 50 hectare limit of new land to be sold per annum. We also need to agree with the Chinese the composition and establishment of the Joint Liaison Group and the Land Commission, both of which are due
to enter into existence as soon as the agreement come s into force.
Kong.
5. The Governor does not think it would be advisable to delay ratification solely on the grounds of the need to legislate in Hong
He asks whether it would be possible to stretch the timetable for consideration of the Bill in the Lords even further. The Lords Whips would have no difficulty in doing this, but I understand that Ministers might be reluctant to do this because of the possible
beeansereaction in the House of Commons, where we put the Bill through in
more
time for
trouble
Arise
P.
only three weeks. Furthermore, we need to bear in mind that if the Lords were to adopt any amendments to the Bill we would need to have time to return to the House of Commons to resolve any differences.
6.
a ratification
We would explain
through, but that agreement, in the
this
The best way out might be to seek to agree on date now with the Chinese on a provisional basis. that the Bill still has a number of stages to pass if all goes well we hope to be ready to ratify the last week of May. If the Chinese were to agree to this, and had a fixed date for ratification, they might be less inclined to press us for early ratification even if the Bill had passed through all its stages by mid-April.
7. If the Governor and Ambassador agree I recommend that we instruct the Ambassador to approach Zhou Nan along the lines suggested in the draft telegram.
agree
Nopoved.
with the live
L
12 February 1985
定
A C Galsworthy
Hong Kong Department
CONFIDENTIAL
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