179
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 26080OZ FCO
TELNO 2019
OF 26073OZ MAY 88
CONFIDENTIAL
NCB 027/3.
053122
MDHIAN 0847
TOP COPY O NIST ? 7
PERSONAL FOR
176)
FROM GOVERNOR
YOUR TELNOS 1357-8 : SECRETARY OF STATE'S VISIT: SPEECH
I THINK THAT THE DRAFT IN SECOND TUR IS VERY MUCH ON THE RIGHT LINES. IT IS CERTAINLY HELPFU TO EMPHASISE THE POSITIVE SIDE OF HONG KONG, THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PAST FEW YEARS AND, PROBABLY MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, HMG'S CONTINUING COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG. AT THE SAME TIME CARE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN NOT TO SO OVER-STATE THE POSITIVE THAT THE GENUINE CONCERN MANY PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THE FUTURE IS NEGLECTED. IN GENERAL THE DRAFT GETS THE BALANCE ABOUT RIGHT. BUT I HAVE INCLUDED SOME FINE TUNING IN THE POINTS BELOW.
2. I HAVE THE FOLLOWING MORE DETAILED COMMENTS, SOME OF WHICH I RECOGNISE MAY BE OVERTAKEN BY RE-DRAFTING:
PART ONE OF TELNO 1358
(A) PARAGRAPH 1. ADD A REFERENCE TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S BRIEF
VISIT IN 1986.
(B) PARAGRAPH 4. ADD AFTER FIRST. SENTENCE ''IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY
HIGH ON MY LIST OF PRIORITIES''.
(C) PARAGRAPH 6. REPLACE (QUOTE) TRIUMPHANT (UNQUOTE) WITH (QUOTE)
REMARKABLE (UNQUOTE).
•
(D) PARAGRAPH 7 DELETE (QUOTE) AND THERE ARE A LOT OF NEWSPAPERS HERE (UNQUOTE). THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHOULD NOT PUT HIMSELF IN A POSITION WHERE HE COULD BE ACCUSED OF HAVING A GO AT THE HONG KONG PRESS.ALSO THE CRITICISM IS MORE APPLICABLE TO THE UK AND INTERNATIO-
NAL PRESS.
•
AND WITH
(E) PARAGRAPH 11. REPLACE ''SOMETIMES EVEN EUPHORIC BY JUSTIFICATION' LAST SENTENCE TO READ ''THE AGREEMENT TOOK DENG XIAOPING'S IMAGINATIVE CONCEPT OF TWO SYSTEMS IN ONE COUNTRY AND GAVE IT A DETAILED AND PRACTICAL EXPRESSION.
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