TNAG-1392-FCO40-1864-Future-of-Hong-Kong-briefing-for-meetings-and-visits-1985 — Page 121

ME 2AEA

PRIS IS A COPY

THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR

40 YEARS UNDER FOI EXEMPTION No. 27 (1).....

Minister

P/Mr Renton

Navy Kanh: puen su

miante.

am.

FROM:

DATE:

A C Galsworthy, HKD

16 September 1985

{"

16/9/4@

cc: Sir W Harding MIKK 040/15.

HONG KONG: BRIEFING FOR MR RENTON

Dr Wilson

1.

You asked in your minute of 10 September for a

note summarising the most important current

developments on Hong Kong.

Future of Hong Kong

2.

The Department's work

is

centred on the

implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration

on Hong Kong, under which Hong Kong will become a

Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic

of China on 1 July 1997. The coming 12 years will be

a difficult time for Hong Kong, and will require a

delicate political balance to be

be struck by HMG. We

need cooperation with the Chinese, but we must be seen

in Hong Kong as prepared to stand up

prepared to stand up for Hong Kong's

interests.

3.

A

Joint Liaison Group

The main forum for cooperation with the Chinese

is the Joint Liaison Group (JLG). I attach

a copy of

Annex II to the Joint Declaration giving its terms of reference. Its first meeting took place in London for

22 to 25 July, and its next meeting will take place in

Peking from 26 to 29 November. The British delegation

i s

led by Dr Wilson and includes two members

Hong Kong Government

of the

its

The Group got off to a good start at

first meeting working in a relaxed and constructive atmosphere.

CONFIDENTIAL