TNAG-1438-FCO40-1922-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 184

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5 February 1986

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Private Secretary Sir W Harding

Dr Wilson

Mr Ottaway

Mr Bacon, PRU

UK/HONG KONG PARLIAMENTARY GROUP

1. At the request of Sir Peter Blaker, Mr Renton spent an hour with the Committee of the UK/Hong Kong

Parliamentary Group this afternoon. In the event, Sir P Blaker was ill, but Lord MacLehose, Lord Geddes, Sir Paul Bryan, Andrew Faulds, Clive Soley and Richard Ottaway attended. Roger Sims took the chair.

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2. Mr Renton gave a short account of his visit to Peking and Hong Kong, explaining that his statement on nationality questions had, for the time being, helped defuse the issue in Hong Kong, and had had the consequential effect of causing many more questions to be put to him by Unofficials and journalists about constitutional development than he had expected. Kong officials were currently in London looking at the technical aspects of the nationality questions covered by the UMELCO petition. He hoped that Home Office Ministers would be in a position to take decisions within a few weeks, but he could

not anticipate the outcome. Mr Renton also touched on the JLG, which was making good progress, and on the manner in which confidence in Hong Kong seemed to be holding up well.

3. Sir Paul Bryan and Lord MacLehose asked whether Mr Renton had perceived any change in the attitude of LegCo Unofficials towards HMG, given that some were now, for the first time, indirectly elected. Mr Renton said that he had not detected any change in the short time he had been in Hong Kong.

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The discussion then turned to nationality. Lord MacLehose said that hanging and nationality had been the two most emotive issues of his Governorship. Even if HMG was able to offer something on the endorsement, he feared the consequences in Hong Kong of a flat refusal on the other two points (non-ethnic Chinese and ex-servicemen).

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