TNAG-1446-FCO40-1930-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-1986 — Page 13

SECRET

3. SUCH AN EXERCISE WOULD, OF COURSE, NEED EXTREMLY CAREFUL HANDLING. IT WOULD BE NECESSARY TO OPEN A DIALOGUE WITH THE CHINESE IN GOOD TIME (SAY, TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE DUE DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE GREEN PAPER), SO THAT THERE WAS ADEQUATE TIME FOR REFLECTION ON OUR SIDE AS EACH NEW PIECE OF CHINESE THINKING WAS ELICITED.

I OUGHT TO EXPLAIN THE WORDS PARAGRAPH OF MY TELEGRAM NO 2386.

4.

AS A DRAFT'' IN THE FINAL

THE THOUGHT IN MY MIND WAS THAT

THE CHINESE WOULD REGARD ANY TEXT WHICH WE GAVE THEM AS BEING OPEN TO COMMENT BY THEMSELVES, WHATEVER ITS FORMAL STATUS (AS HAPPENED OVER THE FIRST AND LAST PARTS OF THE WHITE PAPER, EMBODYING THE TEXT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION AND ITS ANNEXES, WHICH WAS PREPARED AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER 1984). IT THEREFORE SEEMED TO ME THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER NOT TO SAY EXPLICITLY THAT THE GREEN PAPER WAS IN FINAL FORM, AND NOT OPEN TO CHANGE, WHEN ITS TEXT WAS GIVEN TO THE CHINESE. I DID NOT MEAN TO IMPLY (AS IT IS CLEAR THAT I DID) THAT WE SHOULD ACTUALLY SAY THIS IS A DRAFT' OR 'THE DRAFT' WHEN GIVING THEM THE TEXT.

EVANS

YYYY

PEHPAN 2507

LIMITED

HKD.

FEO

PS

PS/PUS

PSIMR RENTON

me GILLMORE

MR WILSON

SECRET