TNAG-1636-FCO40-2252-Visits-by-FCO-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1987 — Page 65

CONFIDENTIAL

Department of the Hong Kong Government, and

perhaps the British Council;

(iii)

identification of a solution acceptable to all

will take time. The planning and construction of

any new building or alterations to existing

premises, plus the provision of residential

accommodation, could take anything up to 5 years;

(iv) should difficulties arise in obtaining the

agreement of the Chinese (or indeed Hong Kong) to

our plans, adequate contingency time must be

allowed to meet the requirement in a different but

orderly way.

Political and Presentational Considerations

4.

The UK will for some time after 30 June 1997 have

The

a specific political role to play in relation to Hong

Kong. The Joint Liaison Group will continue to function,

with its principal base in Hong Kong, until 1 January

2000. Thereafter we shall continue to have a special

status as the co-signatory of the Joint Declaration.

people of Hong Kong, Parliament and public opinion in

this country will expect us to be in a position to

monitor the implementation of that international treaty,

and if necessary to take up with the Chinese Government

any actions of theirs which appear inconsistent with it.

CONFIDENTIAL