CONFIDENTIAL
95
144530
HKB 011/3 TOP COPY
O DISTMDTIAN 3807
Q
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO DESKBY 231130Z FCO TELNO 624
OF 23111OZ FEBRUARY 89
वा
YOUR TELNO 458: FAC ENQUIRY INTO HONG KONG: INITIAL MEMORANDUM
1. THANK YOU FOR SEEKING OUR COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT INITIAL MEMORANDUM, WHICH SEEMS GENERALLY COMPREHENSIVE. OUR MAIN CONCERN IS THAT, IN AN UNDERSTANDABLE EFFORT TO UNDERLINE THE VALUE OF THE JOINT DECLARATION AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION, IT CONTAINS RATHER TOO MANY ENTHUSIASTIC AND ASSERTIVE PASSAGES, WHICH MAY NOT BE RECEIVED IN THE SAME LIGHT HERE AND WHICH, GIVEN THAT THE MEMORANDUM WILL MOST PROBABLY BE PUBLISHED IN DUE COURSE, COULD INDEED BE COUNTER- PRODUCTIVE. A NOTABLE EXAMPLE IS THE APPARENT ATTRIBUTION OF HONG KONG'S ECONOMIC PROGRESS SINCE 1984 T THE JD (PARAS 15-17), AND FAILURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE EFFECT OF OTHER FACTORS (INCLUDING CHINA'S OWN OPEN-DOOR POLICY) AT THE TIME. OTHER EXAMPLES ARE PARA 23 (LAST THREE SENTENCES) AND PARA 33 (FIRST SENTENCE). SOME OF THE WORDING USED MAY ALSO BE SENSITIVE VIS A VIS THE CHINESE.
2. OUR SPECIFIC COMMENTS FOLLOW BY FAX. WE WOULD WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON THE REVISED DRAFT BEFORE THE MEMORANDUM IS FINALISED.
FORD
YYYY
ΜΑΙΝ
16
LIMITED
HKD
NNNN
DISTRIBUTION
16
MR MCLAREN
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.