TNAG-1411-FCO40-1887-Future-of-Hong-Kong--Hong-Kong-a-Change-of-Destiny---despatc-1985 — Page 77

香港總督府

CONFIDENTIAL

GOVERNMENT HOUSE

HONG KONG

3 July 1985

Sir,

HONG KONG: A CHANGE OF DESTINY

On May 27 1985 the governments of the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China exchanged instruments ratifying the Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong. The agreement was registered simultaneously by both governments at the United Nations on June 13, thus confirming their acceptance of its internationally binding nature. Under the agreement the United Kingdom has undertaken to restore Hong Kong to the People's Republic on 1 July 1997. On the same date Hong Kong will become a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic enjoying a high degree of autonomy. Foreign affairs and defence will be reserved to the Central People's Government.

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In his despatch of 12 November last year, Sir R. Evans outlined the course of the negotiations as seen from Peking. In this despatch I propose to review the origin and scale of the problems we faced; the way in which some of the key issues. were resolved; the effect which the resolution of those issues will have on future policy and the problems which will face HMG, the Chinese Government and the Hong Kong Government in implementing the agreement and in administering this territory in the period up to 1997.

The problem of the future of Hong Kong has been latent since the first cession of Hong Kong Island in 1842 and of the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860. It was exacerbated by the

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/conclusion