TNAG-2116-FCO40-3021-Future-of-Hong-Kong-Sino-British-Joint-Declaration-action-ch-1990 — Page 180

CONFIDENTIAL

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MDHIAN 4029

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CONFIDENTIAL

FM UKREP JLG HONG KONG

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 151

OF 080641Z JUN 90

HKC040

INFO PRIORITY PEKING, HONG KONG

3

L

12 J. 1990

CHECK LIS

YRTELNO 54: JOINT LIAISON GROUP SUBJECT CHECK LIST UP TO 1997

1. WHILE WE DO TAKE A CLOSE INTEREST IN THE LIKELY FUTURE PROGRAMME OF WORK OF THE JLG, YOU WILL REALISE THAT WE ARE NOT THE MAIN INITIATORS OF BUSINESS. THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT HAVE, AS YOU SAY, CARRIED OUT SURVEYS ON LIKELY FUTURE BUSINESS: ITEMS CANNOT BE PUT TO THE CHINESE UNTIL THE NECESSARY WORK HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY HKG

AND CONSEQUENTLY ONLY THEY CAN GIVE A REALISTIC VIEW OF THE TIMING.

2. HKG ARE JUST COMPLETING THEIR LATEST VERSION OF THE CHECK LIST, WHICH WILL PROVIDE A BASIS FOR ESTABLISHING A ROUGH TIMETABLE

COVERING SUBJECTS WHICH WE BELIEVE REQUIRE AGREEMENT IN THE JLG

BASED ON A RESTRICTIVE INTERPRETATION OF THE JD. WE SEE SOME ADVANTAGE IN PRESENTING THE CHINESE WITH A ROUGH PROGRAMME OF WORK IN THIS AREA IN ORDER TO INDICATE TO THEM THE FULL EXTENT OF WHAT

MUST BE ACHIEVED AND TO EXERT FURTHER PRESSURE ON THEM TO GET ON WITH BUSINESS. HOWEVER, WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE IT CLEAR THIS REPRESENTED IDEAS AS THEY HAVE DEVELOPED AT THIS STAGE AND WOULD BE SUBJECT TO LATER CHANGE AS NECESSARY. HKG WILL TRY TO MEET YOUR DEADLINE.

3. A COMPREHENSIVE LIST IS A MUCH MORE AMBITIOUS PROJECT. THIS WILL DEPEND ON DECISIONS IN A NUMBER OF VERY SENSITIVE AREAS. IT WILL ALSO DEPEND ON WHAT SORT OF A RELATIONSHIP WE ARE ABLE TO ACHIEVE WITH THE PRC IN THE YEARS AHEAD. WE DO NOT HAVE A BASIS AT PRESENT, FOR INSTANCE, FOR SUGGESTING WHEN OR HOW POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE TRANSITION, OR INDEED PERSONNEL MATTERS, SHOULD BE RAISED WITH THE CHINESE.

4. YOU ALSO MENTIONED DEADLINES FOR COMPLETING DISCUSSION. WE DOUBT WHETHER THIS IS LIKELY TO BE VERY CONSTRUCTIVE. WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE SPEED AT WHICH THE CHINESE WILL RESPOND, AND IN MANY AREAS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROCEED UNTIL AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED WITH THEM. WE THINK THAT AN ATTEMPT TO IMPOSE A SERIES OF SPECIFIC DEADLINES WOULD BE RESISTED INSTINCTIVELY BY THE CHINESE AND MIGHT DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD. WE THINK IT WOULD BE BETTER TO RELY ON AN

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