TNAG-1839-FCO40-2614-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 9

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

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DSR 11C (Revised 5/87)

deadline. The visit of the Prime Minister to China in

1982 provided an opportunity to open discussions with the

Chinese Government about Hong Kong's future. As a result

of that visit, the two sides agreed that talks would

begin "with the common aim of maintaining the stability

and prosperity of Hong Kong".

II.

The negotiation of the Joint Declaration

PRIVACY MARKING

In Confidence

5.

The negotiations lasted two years, from September

1982 to Septmber 1984, when the documents comprising the

Agreement were initialled. The negotiations fell into

two phases: an initial phase, conducted through the

British Embassy in Peking; and a second phase of formal

talks, which began in July 1983 and consisted of 22

rounds of negotiations over 14 months, supplemented by

informal contacts, and in the final four months by

full-time discussion of draft texts tabled by the two

sides. The Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, was

closely involved at every stage in the talks and

intervened personally at several important points in the

negotiations.

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6. The negotiations were extremely tough. The Britis

side argued long and hard for the retention of British,

administration in Hong Kong after 1997. After

protracted discussion, however, it became clear that

continuation of British administration in any form

unacceptable to the Chinese Government.

The only way

forward was to explore the possibility of negotiating