CONFIDENTIAL
FM PEKING
TO PRIORITY F C 0
TELNO 326
OF 01090OZ MARCH 90
INFO PRIORITY HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
HKC020/2
RECEIVED IN REGISTRY
1 MAR 1990
INFO ROUTINE UKREP JLG HONG
REGISTRY
DESK OFFICER
YOUR TELNO 171.
©
KONG
INDEX
FA
Action Taken
014553
MDLIAN 2528
FURTHER CHINESE COMPLAINTS ABOUT SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITY IN HONG KONG.
1. IN MME. HE WEI'S ABSENCE, PIGOTT CALLED ON COUNSELLOR HU CHUANZHONG ON 1 MARCH AND SPOKE AS INSTRUCTED.
2 =
HU SAID THAT CHINA'S POSITION HAD BEEN EXPRESSED ON MANY OCCASIONS IN THE PAST. HE DID NOT FIND OUR REPLY SATISFACTORY. IF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAD TAKEN PROPER, POSITIVE ACTION, THE SITUATION WOULD HAVE BEEN QUITE DIFFERENT. THE MAIN CHINESE
COMPLAINT WAS THAT DEMONSTRATIONS EXPRESSING VARIOUS OPINIONS ON
THE BASIC LAW WERE DIRECTED AGAINST THE CPG. THIS WAS NOT CONDUCIVE TO STABILITY AND GOOD ORDER IN HONG KONG. THE HONG KONG PRESS WERE EXPRESSING A WHOLE RANGE OF VIEWS ON THE BASIC LAW: THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM. BUT WHEN PEOPLE DEMONSTRATED IN FRONT OF THE
NCNA BUILDING THEY WERE DOING SO TO EXERT POLITICAL PRESSURE. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT AND POLICE FORCE HAD SCOPE TO TAKE
APPROPRIATE ACTION. AS TO FUTURE ACTIVITIES BY THE HONG KONG ALLIANCE, THESE COULD GIVE RISE TO EVEN GREATER PROBLEMS. CHINA WAS DRAWING BRITAIN'S ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER SINCE SUCH PROBLEMS WOULD NOT BE CONDUCIVE TO SINO-BRITISH COOPERATION. HKG SHOULD TAKE THE NECESSARY MEASURES TO PREVENT SUCH ANTI-CHINESE
ACTIVITIES. CHINA HOPED THAT HMG WOULD MATCH WORDS WITH DEEDS: SIR P. CRADOCK, WHEN HE VISITED PEKING ON BEHALF OF THE PRIME MINISTER, HAD FORMALLY GUARANTEED THE UK'S INTENTION NOT TO ALLOW HONG KONG TO BE USED AS A BASE FOR SUBVERSION. THE ACTIVITIES WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HAD THE CLEAR AIM OF CAUSING DISORDER AND
INSTABILITY IN HONG KONG AND OF SUBVERTING THE CPG. WHETHER DEMONSTRATIONS WERE LICENSED OR NOT, THE LAW IN HONG KONG DID NOT PERMIT SUCH SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES. WE WERE BEING INCONSISTENT IF, ON THE ONE HAND, WE SAID THAT WE WOULD NOT ALLOW HONG KONG TO BE USED AS A BASE FOR SUBVERSION AND, ON THE OTHER, THEN TURNED A BLIND EYE TO SUCH ACTIVITIES, USING PRETEXTS THAT EVERYONE WAS EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW AND THAT NO GROUP HAD ANY MORE TOLERANCE THAN
PAGE
1
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
014553
MDLIAN 2528
THE LAW ALLOWED. THE LAW IN HONG KONG SURELY DID NOT PERMIT
PEOPLE TO DO OR SAY ANYTHING AGAINST HMG.
3. PIGOTT SAID THAT HONG KONG PEOPLE WERE FREE, UNDER THE LAW, TO CRITICISE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS HKG. HU COMMENTED
THAT CRITICISM WAS ONE THING BUT ATTEMPTS TO OVERTHROW THE CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT WERE ANOTHER.
4. PIGOTT SUGGESTED THAT HU SHOULD REPORT THE POINTS HE HAD MADE
AND GIVE THEM CAREFUL STUDY. HU UNDERTOOK TO DO SO.
COMMENT.
5. THE CHINESE SIDE'S POSITION SHOWS A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
PROBABLY PARTLY GENUINE AND PARTLY DISINGENUOUS OF THE SYSTEM AND WAY OF LIFE IN HONG KONG. ANY FURTHER EXCHANGE IS LIKELY TO BE UNPRODUCTIVE. WE CAN EXPECT FURTHER PROTESTS IF AND WHEN THE
HONG KONG ALLIANCE EVENTS IN APRIL-JUNE TAKE PLACE.
DONALD.
YYYY
DISTRIBUTION
60
ΜΑΙΝ
57
.HONG KONG AGREEMENT
.(RESTRICTED)
LIMITED
HKD
HD/FED
RESEARCH (FE)
PUSD NEWS D
PS/MR MAUDE
PS/LORD BRABAZON
MR GILLMORE
MR MCLAREN
ADDITIONAL
3
MR WHOMERSLEY LEGAL ADVISERS MS BARRETT LEGAL ADVISERS
MR FIFOOT LEGAL ADVISERS
NNNN
PAGE
2
CONFIDENTIAL
Al
CONFIDENTIAL
20/2
HKC020
RECEIVE:
L
DRAK OFFICE.
PA
'GISTRY
1990
REGISTRY
Action Taken
6
003350
MDHOAN 3921
CONFIDENTIAL
FM FCO
TO IMMEDIATE PEKING
TELNO 171
OF 26150OZ FEBRUARY 90
INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG
INFO PRIORITY JLG HONG KONG
(ع)
YOUR TELNO 303 AND HONG KONG TELNO 705:
COMPLAINTS ABOUT SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITY IN
fa
subversion
now !
FURTHER CHINESE
hu
HONG KONG
14/3
GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD NOW SPEAK TO CHINESE AS SUGGESTED IN
SECOND TUR.
1.
HURD
YYYY
DISTRIBUTION
60
ΜΑΙΝ
57
.HONG KONG AGREEMENT
. (RESTRICTED)
LIMITED
HKD
HD/FED
RESEARCH (FE)
PUSD NEWS D
PS/MR MAUDE PS/LORD BRABAZON
MR GILLMORE
MR MCLAREN
ADDITIONAL
3
MR WHOMERSLEY LEGAL ADVISERS MS BARRETT LEGAL ADVISERS
MR FIFOOT LEGAL ADVISERS
NNNN
1
PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.