ONFIDENTIAL
HKK 242/2 026/05
RECEIVE
2.0 JUN 1986
DESK OFFICER
INDEX.
TRY
PA
Action Taken
From: Date:
PJ Westmacott
11 June 1986
Mr Ham My.
CC:
PS
Hong Kong Department
PS/PUS
Sir W Harding Dr Wilson
News Department
CALL ON MR RENTON BY SIR S Y CHUNG, 11 JUNE
1. Mr Renton was grateful for the brief you submitted for Sir SY's call this morning, which lasted half an hour.
2. On representative government, Sir SY referred to the off-the-record dinners which he and Lydia Dunn held with Xu Jia Tun of the NCNA each month. On these occasions, the Chinese always stressed their wish for there to be no change in the management of Hong Kong's affairs. This had recently extended to Hong Kong's employment laws and to the proposed new regulations on insider trading. His own view was that it would be extremely difficult for the Review to opt for the maintenance of the status quo on representative government. Sir SY thought it possible that the BLDC sub group responsible for the structure of government might publish a first draft of its proposals in the early part of 1987, in order to influence the content of the Hong Kong Government's Green Paper. Sir SY was not sure whether this would be good or bad for Hong Kong: that would depend on how far the proposals reflected Hong Kong opinions.
3. Mr Renton told Sir SY that he had impressed on Zhou Nan on 9 June the need for the 1987 Review to be a serious one. He hoped that the Chinese Government would take the point. Sir Sy agreed. The Chinese Government should realise that it was in its own interest that the Hong Kong Government should not lose credibility, which it undoubtedly would if the Review was not perceived to be serious.
4. In a brief discussion of the next Governorship, Sir SY said he thought Hong Kong would need someone who had direct access to the Foreign Secretary, ie one who was not simply an FCO official who would have to take his orders from the Department.
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