TNAG-1610-FCO40-22132-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 142

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 3683

OF 3010OOZ SEPTEMBER 87

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

CONFIDENTIAL

TOP CO

Hub 011/6

0116

25

131372

MDHIAN 5278

PART ONE OF TWO

MIPT : GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS TO LEGCO

SECTIONS OF REVISED DRAFT REFERRED TO IN MIPT ARE AS FOLLOWS

RELATIONS WITH CHINA

INTRODUCTION

5. BEFORE REVIEWING LOCAL DEVELOPMENTS AND THE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE WHICH INTIMATELY CONCERN US ALL, I SHOULD LIKE TO REFLECT ON OUR RELATIONS WITH CHINA. OVER THE PAST DECADE, OUR LINKS WITH THE MAINLAND HAVE CONTINUED TO GROW AND DEVELOP IN EVERY FIELD. THEY HAVE

BECOME AN INCREASINGLY SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES.

THESE LINKS ARE IMPORTANT BOTH FOR THE PRESENT AND FOR THE FUTURE.

IN ADDITION TO THE MANY PERSONAL CONTACTS BETWEEN PEOPLE IN HONG

KONG AND PEOPLE IN THE MAINLAND, WE HAVE A WIDE RANGE OF OFFICIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANNELS FOR EXCHANGES OF IDEAS ON MATTERS OF COMMON

INTEREST. THESE CHANNELS HAVE FUNCTIONED WELL. THEY HAVE HELPED IN

DEVELOPING THE SORT OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT IN

SOLVING PRACTICAL PROBLEMS AS THEY ARISE. I HAVE MYSELF RECENTLY

RETURNED FROM PEKING. I FOUND THAT VISIT USEFUL AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLAIN TO SENIOR CHINESE OFFICIALS DEALING WITH HONG KONG AFFAIRS

SOME OF OUR CONCERNS AND TO LEARN ABOUT THEIRS. I AM SURE THAT THIS

SORT OF DIALOGUE HELPS TO PROMOTE A RELATIONSHIP OF CO-OPERATION AND

MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING WHICH WILL BE OF BENEFIT TO BOTH SIDES I LOOK

FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS DIALOGUE IN FUTURE, INCLUDING DURING A FURTHER VISIT TO PEKING BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR.

POLITICAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA

•

6. THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA

IS OF COURSE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JOINT DECLARATION. THIS

CONTINUES TO MAKE GOOD PROGRESS. IT IS CLEAR EVIDENCE OF THE DETERMINATION OF BOTH SIDES TO IMPLEMENT FULLY THE TERMS OF THE

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CONFIDENTIAL