TNAG-2419-FCO40-3521-Hong-Kong-Her-Majesty-s-Overseas-Civil-Service-(HMOCS)-poli-1992 — Page 210

SECRET

FM FCO

TO IMMEDIATE HONG KONG

TELNO 433

OF 06130OZ MARCH 92

SECRET

HKA 233/1

TOP COPY Q DIST?

AND TO IMMEDIATE UKREP JLG HONG KONG, PEKING

150432

MDHOAN 1013

Pa

913

75

PERSONAL FOR GOVERNOR

-73

구나

YOUR TELNOS 700 AND 701: HMOCS: BRIEFING THE CHINESE

1.

WE HAD OURSELVES BEEN REFLECTING ON HOW BEST TO APPROACH THE CHINESE ON THESE ISSUES, AND WHAT TO SAY, AND WERE ON THE POINT OF SEEKING YOUR VIEWS AND THOSE OF SIR R MCLAREN AND MR GALSWORTHY. THE DRAFT SPEAKING NOTE IN YOUR SECOND TUR IS VERY HELPFUL ALTHOUGH, AS EXPLAINED BELOW, WE THINK THAT IT WILL NEED SOME MODIFICATIONS. WE ALSO NEED TO CLEAR THE FINAL VERSION, WITH A DEFENSIVE LINE ON SET-ASIDE FOR HONG KONG AND CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS GENERALLY, WITH THE TREASURY: THIS WILL NOT BE EASY.

2. WE HAD PREVIOUSLY CONCLUDED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO APPROACH THE CHINESE THROUGH THE EMBASSY IN PEKING RATHER THAN

THE JLG OFFICE. THIS WAS TO TRY TO ENSURE THAT THE CHINESE SAW THIS AS A BILATERAL ISSUE BETWEEN HMOCS OFFICERS AND HMG IN THE UK, DERIVING FROM PAST COMMITMENTS AND NOT INVOLVING THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. SUBJECT TO RECIPIENTS' VIEWS, WE CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT THIS WOULD BE THE MOST APPROPRIATE WAY OF

PROCEEDING.

3.

WE WANT TO TRY TO INDUCE THE CHINESE TO SEE THIS AS A MEASURE WE ARE TAKING BECAUSE OF HISTORICAL COMMITMENTS TO HMOCS OFFICERS ''A PROBLEM LEFT OVER FROM HISTORY'' RATHER THAN A RESPONSE TO HMOCS OFFICERS' WORRIES (OR OUR OWN) ABOUT THEIR FUTURE PROSPECTS IN HONG KONG. WE THEREFORE AGREE THAT THE BRIEFING SHOULD DRAW HEAVILY ON THE WHITE PAPERS OF 1954 AND 1960, TO EXPLAIN HMOCS MEMBERS' UNDERSTANDING OF HMG'S OBLIGATIONS TOWARDS THEM. WE ASSUME IT SHOULD ALSO STRESS THAT WE HAVE WORKED TO DEVISE ARRANGEMENTS

WHICH ADDRESS THIS MATTER IN A WAY COMPATIBLE WITH THE LETTER

AND SPIRIT OF THE JOINT DECLARATION AND (AS YOU SAY) ENCOURAGING MAXIMUM CONTINUITY OF SERVICE BEYOND 1997. IS THERE A DANGER, HOWEVER, THAT PROMINENT STATEMENTS ON THESE LINES WOULD POINT UP

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