TNAG-1851-FCO40-2626-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1989 — Page 105

CONFIDENTIAL

423

067436

MDHIAN 1740

CONFIDENTIAL

FM HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE PARIS

TELNO MISC 437

OF 03003OZ JULY 89

HRB

011/3.

AMENDED DISTRIBUTION 3/7/89

TOP COPY Q DIST ?

AND TO IMMEDIATE OTTAWA, WASHINGTON, BONN, ROME, TOKYO INFO IMMEDIATE FCO, EC POSTS

MIPT: FOREIGN

INTERNATIONAL

AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT ON HONG KONG:

SOLUTION:

MESSAGE TO ECONOMIC SUMMIT PARTNERS

1. I AM SENDING YOU THIS MESSAGE FROM HONG KONG. AS YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE SUBJECTS WE WILL BE DISCUSSING AT THE PARIS SUMMIT IS CHINA AND HONG KONG. RECENT EVENTS IN CHINA, AND IN PARTICULAR THE MASSACRE OF UNARMED CIVILIANS IN PEKING ON 3/4 JUNE, HAVE HAD A DEVASTATING

IMPACT ON PEOPLE HERE. THEY ARE DEEPLY APPREHENSIVE ABOUT THE FUTURE.

2. THESE ANXIETIES HAVE UNDERSTANDABLY GIVEN RISE TO INCREASED

PRESSURE IN HONG KONG FOR (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) ALL ITS CITIZENS TO BE GIVEN A RIGHT OF ABODE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, AS AN INSURANCE AGAINST THE WORST HAPPENING. THE PRIME MINISTER AND I HAVE HAD TO

MAKE IT CLEAR THAT IT WOULD SIMPLY NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR BRITAIN TO

GRANT RIGHT OF ABODE TO POTENTIALLY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. NOR WOULD IT

BE RIGHT FOR US TO GIVE NOW AN UNDERTAKING WHICH A FUTURE BRITISH

GOVERNMENT COULD NOT POSSIBLY HONOUR.

3. WE HAVE, HOWEVER, EXPLAINED THAT IF AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE THINGS WERE TO GO DISASTROUSLY WRONG IN HONG KONG, WE WOULD HAVE A CLEAR OBLIGATION TO DO EVERYTHING IN OUR CAPACITY TO HELP. IF THE NUMBERS LEAVING WERE LARGE, WE WOULD PLAINLY NEED TO LOOK TO OUR FRIENDS AND PARTNERS IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR HELP AND SUPPORT.

4. PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THIS SORT OF

CATASTROPHIC SCENARIO. NOR WOULD I WISH TO IMPLY THAT SUCH A

CATASTROPHE IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN. I BELIEVE THAT HONG KONG HAS EVERY

PROSPECT OF A SECURE AND VIABLE FUTURE ON THE BASIS OF THE

SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION.

5. BUT I WANTED TO ALERT YOU NOW TO THE PROBLEM SO THAT WE CAN

DISCUSS IT IN PARIS. I ALSO WANTED TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO WHAT HAS

BEEN SAID ON THIS SUBJECT BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

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