TNAG-1404-FCO40-1879-Future-of-Hong-Kong-National-People-s-Congress-1985 — Page 19

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CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

DESK BY 03100OZ

FM PEKING 03084OZ APR 85

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELEGRAM NUMBER 464 OF 3 APRIL.

INFO IMMEDIATE HONGKONG.

HKK 040 EZ!

040/12

27

APR 1905

1985

MIPT: HONG KONG AGREEMENT: RATIFICATION

m

1. ZHOU NAN NOTED THAT THE HONG KONG BILL HAD PASSED BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT AND NOW ONLY AWAITED THE ROYAL ASSENT. HE CONFIRMED THAT THE CURRENT SESSION OF THE NPC WOULD PASS A RESOLUTION RATIFYING

(PIZHUN) THE JOINT DECLARATION, PROBABLY ON 10 APRIL. FOLLOWING THAT, THE MFA WOULD PREPARE AN OFFICIAL INSTRUMENT OF

RATIFICATION, WHICH WOULD BE SIGNED BY PRESIDENT LE XMANNIAN AND POSSIBLY COUNTER-SIGNED BY WU XUEQIAN. THIS WOULD COMPLETE RATIFICAT- HION PROCEDURES ON THE CHINESE SIDE. THE WHOLE PROCESS WOULD PROBABLY

BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE END OF APRIL.

2.

ZHOU WENT ON TO ENQUIRE WHETHER, IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT ZHAO ZIYANG WOULD VISIT BRITAIN IN EARLY JUNE AND GIVEN THAT THERE WERE NO OBSTACLES ON EITHER SIDE, WE COULD CONSIDER BRINGING FORWARD THE EXCHANGE OF INSTRUMENTS OF RATIFICATION FROM OUR SUGGESTE

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TIME OF THE WEEK BEGINNING 27 MAY. THE CHINESE SIDE HAD IN MIND EARLY OR MID-MAY. THESE TIMES WOULD NOT CAUSE EITHER SIDE TO NEED TO HURRY UNDULY IN THE COMPLETION OF PROCEDURES. HE ASKED THAT WE SHOULD REFLECT ON THIS. UNDERTOOD TO REPORT ZHOU'S SUGGESTION.

POINTED OUT THAT, ALTHOUGH THE HONG KONG BILL HAD PASSED THROUGH PARLIAMENT, THERE REMAINED A NUMBER OF MATTERS STILL TO DEAL WITH, FOR EXAMPLE THE PASSAGE OF HONG KONG LEGISLATION TO GRANT PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES TO CHINESE MEMBERS OF THE JLG. THIS COULD NOT TAKE PLACE WITHIN THE SPACE OF A FEW DAYS.

3. ZHOU SAID THAT THE CHINESE SIDE COULD AGREE IN PRINCIPLE TO OUR SUGGESTION THAT A LOW KEY PROCEDURE SHOULD BE ADOPTED IN EXCHANGING INSTRUMENTS OF RATIFICATION. A CEREMONY COULD TAKE PLACE BETWEEN HIM AND ME. THERE WAS NO NEED FOR ATTENDANCE BY OBSERVERS FROM HONG KONG, AS AT THE SIGNATURE CEREMONY. HE ENVISAGED THAT OFFICIALS FROM THE MFA AND FROM THE EMBASSY WOULD BE PRESENT AND PERHAPS ALSO, AS THE CEREMONY WOULD BE TAKING PLACE IN PEKING, SOME CHINESE OFFICIALS OF HIGHER RANK THAN ZHOU HIMSELF. PERHAPS BOTH SIDES COULD MAKE VERY BRIEF SPEECHES, COVERING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RATIFICATION AND THE MATTERS TO BE DEALT WITH DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AGREEMENT.

CONFIDENTIAL

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