TNAG-1936-FCO40-2762-Future-of-Hong-Kong-defence-and-public-order-1989 — Page 74

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We will need to explain it to Hong Kong Government and in due course, privately, to the Chinese to ensure that there are no possible misunderstandings about the purpose of such an exercise. Public presentation in Hong Kong will also be tricky. We will have to consult the Hong Kong Government on all this, and it may be that the review could better make no firm recommendations on timing at this stage.

(c) para 39 of the draft paper: I am content with the amended timing of the major review. But we will need to consult the Hong Kong Government on this: you will recall that the original call for a major review came from the Executive Council. In due course we will also need to inform the Chinese through the Joint Liaison Group.

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2. I discussed with you on the telephone the question of consultation with the Hong Kong Government. grateful for your recognition that this is a necessary step in the process, and could best follow the general pattern of consultation over the original withdrawal plan. I have in mind the following steps:

(a) We would prepare and clear with you a short paper for submission to the Hong Kong Government and Executive Council, summarising the outcome of the current review. This would include references to the revised timing of the major review and to the proposed reinforcement exercise

(b) We would also send to the Governor of Hong Kong, who presides over the Executive Council, a copy of the second revise draft of the review, or the third revise if available in time. This would be strictly for his personal information, to help him guide discussion in Exco. You would no doubt brief CBF to introduce the paper which Exco will have before it, and to answer any questions raised by members.

The above is in line with the arrangements we made for consulting the Hong Kong Government when CDS 7/87 was originally prepared. In due course it may be that the Hong Kong Government will ask for a copy of the review document; if so I suggest that an edited version be prepared, as was the case for CDS 7/87.

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