TNAG-2116-FCO40-3021-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Sino-British-Joint-Declaration-action-ch-1990 — Page 163

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE F

TELNO 953

Redacted under FOI Exemption S 27(1)

CONFIDENTIAL

CHKC040/1

OF 280847Z JUNE Po

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29 JUN 1990

TRY

on Taxen

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

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(21)

(1)

101615

MDHIAN 6822

Intuition ((12).

TOP COPY Q DIST?

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HKD PLEASE PASS TO SIR DAVID WILSON.

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UKREP JLG TELNO 178 : JLG SUBJECT CHECKLIST.

1. WE SHARE THE CONCERNS IN TUR. TO PRESENT THE CHECKLIST AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL WILL, IN CHINESE EYES, GIVE IT THE STATUS OF AN OFFICIAL PROPOSAL ON WHAT WORK THE JLG SHOULD UNDERTAKE IN THE NEXT YEAR. NOT ONLY WILL THIS MAKE THE CHINESE SUSPICIOUS THAT WE ARE TRYING TO EXCLUDE SUBJECTS THAT THEY MIGHT WISH TO PUT ON THE AGENDA, E.G. SUBVERSION, BUT IT ALSO RUNS THE RISK THAT THE CHINESE MAY USE IT TO TRY AND EXCLUDE SUBJECTS THAT WE MIGHT SUBSEQUENTLY WISH TO DISCUSS IN THE JLG.

A FURTHER PROBLEM IS THAT BY GIVING THE LIST TOO OFFICIAL A STATUS, MR MAUDE COULD BE DRAWN INTO A LENGTHY DISCUSSION WITH THE CHINESE OVER THE CONTENTS OF THE LIST, RATHER THAN BEING ABLE TO DEAL WITH ISSUES OF SUBSTANCE.

2. WE FULLY APPRECIATE THE NEED TO PROVIDE SOMETHING IN WRITING TO ILLUSTRATE MR MAUDE'S REMARKS ON THE ÜRGENT NEED TO MAKE PROGRESS ON HONG KONG ISSUES. WE ALSO UNDERSTAND MR GALSWORTHY'S POINT THAT HIS PATIENT CULTIVATION OF THE SENSITIVE GUO FENGMIN, WHO IS NOW BEGINNING TO EXPLORE WAYS OF BREAKING LOG JAMS ON CERTAIN ISSUES, SHOULD NOT BE UNDERCUT BY AN APPARENT TRANSFER OF DISCUSSION TO PEKING. AN ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION IS THAT WE SHOULD NOT MAKE IT TOO EASY FOR MR MAUDE'S CHINESE INTERLOCUTORS TO DEFLECT CRITICISM OF THEIR INERTIA ON CERTAIN ISSUES INTO A PROCEDURAL WRANGLE ABOUT THE COMPETENCE OF THE JLG AND THE TIMETABLE FOR IT'S WORK.

3. OUR CONCLUSION IS THEREFORE THAT ANY LIST SHOULD FIRST BE TRAILED IN HONG KONG WITH A CAREFUL EXPLANATION OF ITS STATUS AND INTENTION AND THEREAFTER SERVE AS A FAIRLY MINOR ILLUSTRATION OF THE VIEWS MR MAUDE WILL BE ABLE TO PUT MUCH MORE FORCEFULLY IN PERSON DURING HIS VISIT TO PEKING.

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