布政司署
香港下亞厘畢道
CONFIDENTIAL
DIEU
1199
GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT
LOWER ALBERT ROAD HONG KONG
本署檔號 Our Ref.:
PAO(S) 10/1162/88
來函檔號 Your Ref.:
20 November 1992
Peter Ricketts Esq HKD
на
HKC 01214
FCO
Jean Pern,
Mr Mashal! 25/0 Mr Bunk<<30/xi
Hong Kong after 1997:
closing the door
Great minds!
Cel vo Look activch
for He right opportunity
to use this l'i'ne
Some time ago we began to notice the regular repetition by Chinese spokesmen of the line that "before 1997 Hong Kong is a bilateral matter between the UK and China: after 1997 it will be a Chinese internal/domestic affair".
It is of course the second rather than the first part of this which is seriously worrying. The first is, strictly speaking, true: and it is aimed at telling the UK's friends and other countries who have an interest in Hong Kong to keep their noses out.
The second part of the statement, however,
true. But it foreshadows the attitude the Chinese will take to any representations on Hong Kong which the UK may seek to make after 1 July 1997. It spells out clearly the Chinese intention to slam the door shut and refuse to entertain any "interference" from the British in future.
It is therefore rather worrying that we seem to be letting this go without the refutation it deserves. The golden rule about lying is, make your lie a big one, and keep repeating it. It seems to me they are seeking to sink the idea into our consciousness that no-one apart from China will have any say in Hong Kong's affairs after 1997.
Our telno 1374 of 21 May described this problem. Para 6 of that telegram suggested that we should "firmly rebut" any reiteration of this line by the Chinese. But the Chinese have continued to repeat this line in quite categorical terms. For instance, the MFA spokesman, Wu Jianmin, used it last week when criticising comments by the Australian Foreign Minister, Senator
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