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IMMEDIATE FCO
TELNO 151
OF 220953Z JANUARY 88
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG.
-4-
MY TELNO.85
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT:
WHITE PAPER.
1. KE ZAISHUO ASKED ME TO CALL ON HIM ON 22 JANUARY, TO COMMENT ON THE DOCUMENT I HAD GIVEN HIM ON 15 JANUARY.
2. KE SAID THAT THE FOREIGN MINIST RY AND OTHER AUTHORITIES
CONCERNED'' WISHED ONCE AGAIN TO EXPRESS THEIR GRATITUDE TO THE
BRITISH SIDE FOR THE PAPER WHICH I HAD HANDED OVER. AFTER
CONSIDERING IT, THEY HAD TAKEN THE VIEW THAT IT GAVE RISE TO NO (REPEAT) NO PROBLEMS OF SUBSTANCE. THE CHINESE SIDE THEREFORE HAD
NO OBJECTION TO IT.
3. KE THEN WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE WANTED TO MENTION TWO TECHNICAL
POINTS FOR THE BRITISH SIDE'S CONSIDERATIION'
(A) THE CHINESE SIDE THOUGHT THERE WAS SOME INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN
THE FINAL SENTENCE IN PARAGRAPH 6 OF OUR PAPER AND THE PENULTIMATE SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH 12 FOR THIS REASON, AND BECAUSE THE PREFERENCE MENTIONED IN PARAGRAPH 6 WAS ONLY ''SLIGHT''. THE CHINESE
SIDE SUGGESTED THAT THE LAST SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH 6 MIGHT BEST BE
DELETED.
(B) IN THE FINJAL SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH 9 OF OUR PAPER. WE REFERRED TO THE LATEST DRAFT OF THE BASIC LAW'' IN THE CHINESE TRANSLATIOIN OF OUR PAPER WE HAD, HOWEVER, USED LANGUAGE WHICH IMPLIED THAT WE WERE REFERRING TO THE TEXT TO BE PUBLISHED NEXT YEAR FOR CONSULTATION. THE ENGLISH TEXT OF OUR PAPER CAUSED THE CHINESE SIDE NO DIFFICULTIES, BUT THE CHINESE TEXT, IF UNCORRECTED, COULD GIVE RISE TO MISUNDERSTANDINGS. THE CHINESE SIDE THEREFORE SUGGESTED THAT WE SUBSTITUTED 'ZAI JIBENFADE ZUI XIN YIGAONEI''
FOR THE EXISTING CHINESE WORDING.
4. KE SAID THAT HE HAD RAISED THESE TWO POINTS WITH ME FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND THAT HE WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF I COULD PASS THEM ON.
5. I SAID THAT I WOULD PASS ON KE'S SUGGESTIION FOR A MORE ACCURATE
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