TNAG-1438-FCO40-1922-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 104

GRS 300

CONFIDENTIAL

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP COF

HKROil/l

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

RFC

TELNO 667

OF 040915Z MARCH 86

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

TRY

- 5 MAR 1986

ween

A7B73

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: RESTRICTED: REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.

1. THE SCM POST TODAY CARRIED ON ITS FRONT PAGE A SHORT REPORT ENTITLED ''ACCORD OVER POLITICAL REFORM''. THE REPORT 'S A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE IN THE FEBRUARY #SSUE OF THE MIRROR MAGAZINE - ''CONTROVERSY OVER CONSTITUTION TAKES NEW TURNS'' (THE GIST OF WHICH WAS REPORTED TO YOU IN OUR TELNO 401, AND A FULL COPY PLUS TRANSLATION SENT TO YOU BY BAG ON 17 FEBRUARY).

2. THE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE MIRROR MAGAZINE ARTICLE'S CONTENTION THAT BRITAN AND CHINA HAVE REACHED TACHT AGREEMENT ON POLITICAL REFORMS IN HONG KONG, SUGGESTING THAT THIS WAS THE RESULT OF THE ''MORE FLEXIBLE ATTITUDE ADOPTED BY THE CURRENT MINSTER OF STATE AT THE FCO MR. TIMOTHY RENTON, THAN HIS PREDECESSOR MR. RICHARD LUCE''. THIS CONSLUSHION WAS REACHED, IT ARGUES, AFTER AN ANALYSIS OF MEETINGS BETWEEN MR. RENTON AND SENIOR CHINESE OFFICIALS SUCH AS WU XUEQIAN, JI PENGFE AND ZHOU NAN. HT ALSO SAYS THAT

MR. RENTON HAD STATED ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS THAT CHINA AND BRITAIN

HELD SIMILAR VIEWS ON HK'S POLITICAL REFORMS, AND THAT BOTH GOVERNMENTS WOULD MAINTAIN CLOSE CONTACT THROUGH THE JOINT LIAISON GROUP. T SUGGESTS THAT A MORE FLEXIBLE BRITISH DIPLOMATIC APPROACH

HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF LOOKING AFTER THE INTERESTS AND WISHES

OF BOTH THE BRITISH AND CHINESE GOVERNMENTS.

3. THIS ARTICLE UNDERLINES THE POINT HIN PARA. 1 OF HONG KONG TELNO

649

-

4.E. THAT THE LOCAL PRESS WILL BE INTERESTED IN MR. LUCE'S

VISIT PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF HIS FORMER RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HONG KONG

WHEN AN FCO MINISTER.

YOUDE

HONG KONG AGREEMENT: RESTRICTED

LIMITED

HD/HKD

HD/FED

RESEARCH D (FE)

DEP/HD PUSD

COPIES TO:

MR FIFOOT, LEGAL ADVISERS

MR WOOD LEGAL ADVISERS

MR HUM FID

PS/MR RENTON MR WILSON

CONFIDENTIAL

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