[HKC340/1
INDE
1. R 1990
ភវ
FH194
Conservatives Abroad tives
27 March 1990
The Hon Francis Maude M.P.
Minister of State
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
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(102)
130 MAR 1990
M. Paul Hud
Ps.
Ps/un Mande
Uhr Lidington
UNITED KINGDOM
Dear Dr Naude
Uur Fraser
Mir uns Laren
Wframe
I am very pleased that you have been able to arrange to see Conservatives Abroad on your next visit to Hong Kong. Some time during the hour we have available with you on 11 April (from 5:45p.m. to 6:45p.m.) I hope you will say a few words on the situation from your perspective, and thereafter answer questions from our members, which will doubtless include the right of abode package and the likely mechanics of its implementation.
Related to this, I enclose for your attention a letter I have written to all Conservative backbench MPs (plus some others), together with a report on our 'right of abode' debate here in January, at which the Government's proposals were substantially supported. When Tim Yeo was here in January I discussed a draft with him. I hope it might be of some small assistance in getting the legislation passed.
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In the last day or two, we have heard China effectively threatening not to recognise any passports given under the package. My view is that this is essentially a tactic designed to hinder the passage of the legislation, by allowing opponents in the House of Commons to say that there is no point in legislating if the Chinese won't recognise such passports after 1997, and that it will force the 225,000 to come to Britain (when the purpose of giving the passports is to keep them in Hong Kong).
I believe this should be strongly resisted, and I would hate the House of Commons to be influenced by hot air from the Chinese leadership. There is potentially always a problem with Hong Kong born Chinese holding any foreign passport after 1997, but in practice I would have thought it highly unlikely that any one
UNITED KINGDOM CONSERVATIVES ABROAD (HONG KONG) Registered Office: 12th Floor, 11 Duddell Street, Hong Kong.
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