TNAG-2079-FCO40-2959-Hong-Kong-press-coverage-and-reports-1990 — Page 255

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Mr Fraser

Policy Planning Staff

ARTICLE ON CHINA/HONG KONG

1.

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Following our Hong Kong Department's comments on the draft article enclosed with your minute of 31 July.

2.

I think the Hong Kong section needs to be divided more clearly into pre-Tiananmen (Joint Declaration etc)__and post-Tiananmen (our confidence building initiatives and the Chinese attitude to them). The latter should bring out the point that, far from kow-towing to the Chinese over Hong Kong, we have introduced initiatives for Hong Kong's benefit despite Chinese reservations about them. It is precisely to discuss and resolve these reservations that we must keep contact with the Chinese over Hong Kong. I would suggest the following amendments; to achieve this shift of emphasis:

PARA 4

A) Replace third sentence with: "But this does not mean that Hong

On the contrary, Kong will be absorbed into socialist China.

The

China clearly shares our desire to preserve the cultural, political and economic identity of the territory. Sino-British Joint Declaration ...

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B) Fifth sentence: amend "largely autonomous administrative zone" to read "Special Adinistrative Region".

PARA 5

(m)

The first fast it

C) Paragraph 6 would fit more naturally as the next paragraph from "China also has a massive political freedoms."

"valuable".

Amend "

to "for its economic and indispensable" in this line to read

(Tax)

x

PARA 6 (old force 5)

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D) Delete first sentence.

E) Amend second sentence to begin "The events in Tiananmen Square of June last year certainly damaged ...".

F) Delete last sentence.

NEW PARA 7

"In the past year, we have introduced a number of initiatives intended to build on the achievements of the Joint Declaration and underline our commitment to Hong Kong's future stability and prosperity. That is why the Hong Kong Government is proceeding with the programme of democratisation and the Bill of Rights and hafe embarked on a £10 billion infrastructure project to build a new airport and to expand the port facilities. It is why we attach such importance to the

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