TNAG-1716-FCO40-2396-Hong-Kong-1987-Review-of-Representative-Government-1988 — Page 132

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

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TO DESKBY 130100Z HONG KONG

TELNO 96

OF 121645Z JANUARY 88

INFO IMMEDIATE PEKING

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YOUR TELNOS 112-119 AND YOUR TELNO 135: REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT: WHITE PAPER

1.

HRB ON/1.

15 JAN 1988

WE ARE GENERALLY CONTENT AT OFFICIAL LEVEL WITH THE DRAFT WHITE PAPER AS AMENDED BY YOUR TELNOS 113-118. BUT WE HAVE TWO DIFFICULTIES WITH THE FINAL SENTENCE OF CHAPTER VLLL (PARA 3(J) OF YOUR TELNO 118):

(I) WE FIND THE PHRASE QUOTE LOOKING BOTH TO THE MEDIUM AND

THE LONG TERM FUTURE UNQUOTE RATHER IMPRECISE AND CONFUSING. IT APPEARS TO ADD LITTLE TO THE SENSE, COULD BE OPEN TO MISINTERPRETATION BY THE CHINESE.

WOULD THEREFORE PREFER TO OMIT IT. -

(II)

Y ET

WE

WE NOTE THAT TWO KEY ELEMENTS CONTINUITY AND A SMOOTH TRANSFER ARE ABSENT FROM THIS SENTENCE, WHICH SERVES AS A GENERAL SUMMING UP OF WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE. ALTHOUGH THERE IS ALREADY A REFERENCE TO CONTINUITY AND A SMOOTH TRANSFER IN THE PRECEDING PARAGRAPH WE BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE REPEATED IN THE FINAL SENTENCE, SO AS TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY WITH THE SUMMARY OF OBJECTIVES CONTAINED IN PARAGRAPH 5 OF CHAPTER L. WE HAVE SPOTTED A FEW MINOR TYPOGRAPHICAL/TRANSMISSION ERRORS:

2.

3.

(A)

(B)

TELNO 113 PARA 2 (C) SHOULD READ QUOTE ON A GEOGRAPHICAL BASIS UNQUOTE.

TELNO 114, PARA 5(B) SHOULD READ QUOTE ITS DEVELOPMENT UNQUOTE.

(C) TELNO 116, PARA 1 (N): THE DATE SHOULD BE 1988.

PAPER FOR THE CHINESE (YOUR TELNOS 119 AND 135). WE ARE CONTENT AT OFFICIAL LEVEL WITH THE DRAFT PAPER EMBODYING CHAPTERS III AND VIII AS PROPOSED IN FIRST TUR, BUT SUBJECT TO THE COMMENTS IN PARA- GRAPH 1 ABOVE. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR AGREEMENT IN LAST TUR THAT WE MAY DISPENSE WITH A COVERING PAPER. WE LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE FOR HMA PEKING, WHICH WE ASSUME WILL INCLUDE DEFENSIVE MATERIAL TO DEAL WITH ANY CHINESE QUESTIONS ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS OF THE WHITE PAPER.

4. WE PLAN TO SUBMIT THE FINAL DRAFT OF THE WHITE PAPER TO THE

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