TNAG-1441-FCO40-1925-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 65

SECRET

53487

1

CHINESE WE HAD IMPRESSED ON THEM THAT THERE WAS A FIRM COMMITMENT

FOR THE 1987 REVIEW TO GO AHEAD: THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A REAL

REVIEW: AND THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH ALL THE ITEMS LAID

DOWN FOR THE REVIEW IN THE 1984 WHITE PAPER, INCLUDING THE

QUESTION OF DIRECT ELECTIONS. WE HAD NOT/NOT GIVEN THE CHINESE A

RANGE OF OPTIONS FOR WHAT MIGHT APPEAR IN THE REVIEW. TO SAY SO

WOULD NOT ONLY BE INACCURATE: IT WOULD IMPLY THAT WE WERE GIVING

THE CHINESE A VETO OVER THE REVIEW. THAT WAS NOT/NOT THE CASE.

4.

THE SECOND POINT RELATED TO OUR PREPARATION OF PAPERS ON

THE SUBJECT. AT THE END OF OUR CONVERSATION MS LAU SAID SHE HAD

HEARD WE HAD HANDED OVER PAPERS TO THE CHINESE. WAS THIS TRUE?

I SAID THAT, TO THIS AND ALL SIMILAR QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR

COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT, SHE WOULD FIND THAT I

RESPONDED WITH 'NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY', EVEN IF SPEAKING

UNATTRIBUTABLY. I WAS NOT GOING TO GET INTO THE POSITION OF

DISCUSSING THE FORM OR NATURE OF OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH THE CHINESE

GOVERNMENT. FINALLY, AS SHE WAS LEAVING, SHE SAID THAT KE

ZAISHUO AT HIS PRESS RECEPTION ON 25 JULY HAD SAID (PRESUMABLY IN

CONVERSATION WITH HER ALONE) THAT THE CHINESE HAD BEEN GLAD TO

GET A RANGE OF OPTIONS FROM THE BRITISH. I DID NOT PURSUE THE

SUBJECT.

5.

I FEAR IT SEEMS LIKELY, ON THE BASIS OF THIS CONVERSATION

THAT MS LAU HAS A GOOD IDEA THAT PAPERS HAVE BEEN HANDED OVER TO THE

CHINESE WHICH ARE IN SOME WAY CONNECTED WITH THE 1987 REVIEW.

FURTHERMORE, SHE SEEMS TO HAVE THE DANGEROUSLY MISTAKEN

IMPRESSION THAT THEY ARE IN SOME WAY AN ATTEMPT TO CLEAR IN

ADVANCE WITH THE CHINESE THE CONTENT OF THE 1987 REVIEW. I SAID

NOTHING TO CORROBRATE THAT IMPRESSION. BUT I SHALL BE SURPRISED

IF A REFERENCE TO PAPERS, A RANGE OF OPTIONS, AND ADVANCE

CONSULTATION ABOUT THE 1987 REVIEW DOES NOT SOONER OR LATER

APPEAR IN SOME FORM IN ONE OF HER ARTICLES.

6.

WE NEED TO BE READY WITH A DEFENSIVE PRESS LINE IF A

REFERENCE TO PAPERS AND THE 1987 REVIEW DOES IN DUE COURSE APPEAR

IN AN ARTICLE BY MS LAU. WE DISCUSSED A CONTINGENCY LINE IN HONG

KONG TELNO 1574 AND OUR TELNO 963. I DO NOT THINK WE CAN FINE

TUNE THIS ANY FURTHER AT THE PRESENT STAGE, UNTIL WE SEE EXACTLY

2

SECRET