TNAG-2180-FCO40-3117-Hong-Kong-nationality-international-support-1990 — Page 88

1.

C

Ако

HRP 340/1

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

10/4/90.

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT: STATEMENT

02 MAY 1990

HONG KONG STRY

DESK OFFICER INDEX

PA

Acton Taken

Ro

As Douglas Hurd said on 20 December while Hong Kong is

a British responsibility, it is also an international centre, with huge international investment. Its major trading partners have a strong interest in Hong Kong's continuing

stability and prosperity. We undertook then to ask our partners and allies to follow our lead in introducing measures to reassure Hong Kong people, in ways which

contribute to Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.

2.

We have been doing this. In the three months since

that announcement, we have made repeated representations at a

high level to the governments of 20 countries. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and I have raised the matter personally with our counterparts in many of these countries. We have made it clear to them that the question of the future of Hong Kong is a matter for the governments of the United Kingdom and China. Nothing has, or will, change about that. There is no question of going back on the provisions of the

Joint Declaration, nor of internationalising matters which are

the sole concern of Britain and China.

3.

-

as we

It is in fact precisely because we are concerned to

maintain the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong are obliged to do under the Joint Declaration that we have introduced measures to encourage key people to remain in the territory, and have urged other countries to introduce

similar measures.

4. The response to our efforts has been generally very

encouraging.

pa

pc/my

19

9/4