TNAG-2602-FCO40-3790-Administrative-support-for-Chris-Patten--new-Governor-of-Hon-1992 — Page 106

SECRET AND PERSONAL

not draft the replies). In addition, for particularly

sensitive matters, telegrams can be sent "strictly personal" for the Governor. In this case, he deals with, and replies

to, the telegrams unaided.

4.

All this places an immense administrative load on the

Governor. It has only been sustainable to date because all recent Governors have had prior experience of Hong Kong and/or China and have been civil servants, with a background

in Whitehall and the bureaucratic skills to conduct a personal telegraphic dialogue with the FCO (andthe Ambassador in Peking) on policy issues in addition to running the Hong Kong Government.

Political Adviser

5.

The Political Adviser (PA, now a Counsellor, formerly a senior grade officer) and two officers on his staff are the

only Diplomatic Service officers seconded to (and paid for

by) HKG. They are not housed in Government House, but

some distance away in the Central Government Offices. Their

role is not to assist the Governor in dealing with

Whitehall, but primarily to: conduct liaison on behalf

of the Governor and Government of Hong Kong, with Chinese representatives in Hong Kong; to advise the Governor on

relations with China in the run-up to 1997; to advise him on

developments in China; and to serve as a channel to him on

certain UK Eyes A security and intelligence functions. The

PA also conducts some "external affairs" functions: briefing

visitors, dealing with the Consular Corps and the Governor's

travels, etc.

6. The Political Adviser's role will change as 1997

approaches. We want to avoid the Chinese turning the

Political Adviser after 1997 into a Commissar for the SAR's

dealings with Peking. Moves are therefore already underway

to separate out the PA's functions as follows:

1:

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SECRET AND PERSONAL