TNAG-1468-FCO40-1997-Visits-by-members-of-the-Office-of-the-Unofficial-Members-of-1986 — Page 32

CONFIDENTIAL

3.

The briefing

explanatory.

is

self-contained and largely self-

The order of meetings is not ideal, but was

the best that could be arranged. We envisage that the meetings will take the following course:

4.

(i) with Mr Renton the Governor and the Unofficials

will go over the ground for their meeting with the

Prime Minister.

We would expect general

discussion on the situation in Hong Kong, the

drafting of

of the Basic Law and our dialogue with

the Chinese on the structure of Government. The

Hong Kong visitors plan to raise Vietnamese refugees and BN (O) passports;

(ii) the Prime Minister will be

visilary

briefed on the

situation in Hong Kong and the progress of the

drafting of the Basic Law. They will emphasise the importance of HMG maintaining a close and visible interest in Hong Kong and in the content

of the Basic Law. They will raise the state of

our informal dialogue with the Chinese on the

structure of government in the light of the

Governor's recent visit to Peking. They will

raise Daya Bay (see below);

(iii) with the Secretary of State the visitors propose to discuss the outcome of the Governor's Peking

visit and future informal contacts with the

Chinese on constitutional development. refer to the forthcoming negotiations

They will

on the

Defence Costs Agreement and planning for the

gradual withdrawal of the Garrison.

The briefing covers all these points. On Daya Bay the visitors will be seeking clear assurances, on which they

can draw in public, that we have satisfied ourselves of the

high priority to be given to safety in the construction and operation of the plant. The line in the brief has been the

CONFIDENTIAL