TNAG-1847-FCO40-2622-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 54

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CONFIDENTIAL

PUS'S CALL ON MR DAVID HOWELL, 27 APRIL

FOREIGN AFFFAIRS COMMITTEE'S VISIT TO HONG KONG AND PEKING

POINTS TO MAKE

Private Office say:

if DH wants to call on

GH

before them, delightão (obworsh)

to try to fit kan won.

General impressions

1.

Interested to know how the Committee got on in Hong Kong and Peking. No doubt you will wish to discuss your impressions with the Secretary of State at Chevening on 6/7 May.

Follow-up action

2. Hope you will let us know if there is any help you would like us to provide in following up points arising from your visit. We stand ready to help with further briefing, written memoranda or answers to specific questions.

Nationality

3.

Am sure you were struck by the strength of feeling in Hong Kong on nationality issues. As far as Chinese attitudes are concerned, would not necessarily take at face value Zhou Nan's remark about any change to our nationality policyour internal affair. The Chinese have always taken this line in public. But they have not commented on whether a British decision to grant right of abode to Hong Kong British passport holders would be contrary to the Joint Declaration. Cannot assume that the Chinese would not object if we changed our policy on nationality. A lot would depend on what we did.

Pre-1997 Referendum

4.

•

Have seen press reports suggesting that the Chinese have given green light to idea of an early referendum in Hong Kong on question of democratic development. Our impression is that press might have misinterpreted answer you gave to two questions fired at you almost

CONFIDENTIAL