TNAG-1744-FCO40-2463-Visits-by-FCO-officials-to-Hong-Kong--including-visit-by-Lor-1988 — Page 78

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scene-setting telegram sent by the Governor before the Secretary of State's visit: it remains largely relevant as a description of the mood in the territory.

5.

The brief for the meeting with ExCo (Brief No 2) contains an

outline opening statement, personality notes on members and a record

of their recent meeting with the Secretary of State. The briefs for

the meeting with OMELCO (Brief No 3) and the call on the Trade

Development Council (Brief No 4) are similarly arranged. To avoid

duplication the remaining material on each individual issue is

contained in the subject briefs which follow, with a clear

indication of the interlocutor(s) for which each part of the Line to

Take is designed.

6.

The brief for the press conference (Brief No 19) contains a

first draft of a short opening statement, together with full

supporting material comprising bull points and defensive points.

Issues

T

The visit comes at a time when our relations with China over

Hong Kong are relatively smooth. The decisions contained in the White Paper on representative government came as a considerable

relief to the Chinese. Over the past months they have generally

been at pains to convey in public an impression of harmony with

ourselves over Hong Kong, and to make statements designed to boost

local confidence. In private there have been minor disagreements,

for example ove rthe proporiety of Parliament debating the Basic

Law; but the general atmosphere of our relations has been very good.

The most intensive exchanges have been over the formation of the

first SAR Government, where areas of difference are gradually being

narrowed.

8.

The perception of this relationship in Hong Kong is

ambivalent. There is relief that Anglo-Chinese relations are so smooth; but also suspicion that this could work against Hong Kong's interests. More generally, there is a pervasive feeling among parts of the Hong Kong public that HMG lack real comitment to Hong Kong;

that we fail to give the territory all the support and assistance it

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