TNAG-2221-FCO40-3189-Constitutional-development-in-Hong-Kong-role-of-the-Legislat-1991 — Page 43

CONFIDENTIAL

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44

034434 MDHIAN 3854

HKB 012/5.

CONFIDENTIAL

FM PEKING

TO IMMEDIATE FCO

TELNO 2026

OF 28020OZ NOVEMBER 91

INFO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG, UKREP JLG HONG KONG

-ucc 370/4

14

HK TELNO 3709: COURT OF FINAL APPEAL: THE WAY FORWARD

1.

WE AGREE THAT TRYING TO REOPEN THE JLG AGREEMENT ON THE CFA WOULD SET A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR OTHER JLG AGREEMENTS. MOREOVER IT IS EXTREMELY UNLIKELY THAT THE CHINESE POSITION WILL CHANGE. WE ADVISE AGAINST RAISING DENNIS CHANG'S PROPOSAL WITH THE CHINESE FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT WE HAD DONE SO. WE HAVE ALREADY RECONFIRMED TO THE CHINESE THAT WE WILL STAND BY THE JLG DECISION. IT WOULD BE OBVIOUS TO THE CHINESE THAT THE PROPOSAL WAS NOT ONE WHICH WE SERIOUSLY EXPECTED THEM TO ACCEPT, LEADING THEM TO DOUBT THE WEIGHT OF FUTURE DEMARCHES ON SUBJECTS WHERE THEIR CONSIDERATION WAS GENIUNELY REQUIRED.

2.

NOR DO WE SEE ANY ADVANTAGE IN RESERVING THIS PROPOSAL FOR ACTION IN A FEW MONTHS TIME. THE CHINESE ARE NO MORE LIKELY TO ACCEPT IT THEN THAN NOW AND RE-STOKING THE CONTROVERSY ONCE IT HAS DIED DOWN WOULD SEEM UTTERLY COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE.

MCLAREN

YYYY

DISTRIBUTION

64

ΜΑΙΝ

60

.HONG KONG AGREEMENT

.(RESTRICTED)

PLANNERS RAD

LIMITED

HKD

PUSD

HD/FED

NEWS D

PS/LORD CAITHNESS

PS/MR LENNOX-BOYD

SIR J COLES

MR BURNS

1

PAGE CONFIDENTIAL