HKB 010/14
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2
DESK OFF INDEX
Sir John-Cotes
575 44/
STRY Dtl.
TRY
Taken
Letter to Cabind furly.
Cham/%
Foreign and Commonweath Office
King Charles St.
London SW1
Hurd (ow. Again)
To file
303 Richmond Road
Twickenham
Middlesex TW1 2NP
7 August 1993
Tr. Ham.
f.c. 10
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Lecar John LAST PAPER
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adult letter from me to the Cabinet shanty = rgh to he of Augment to the rus. fut 2 Like to hand this tomamos (Trendy) at labit
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Following our meeting yesterday I have made further amendments
to the two chapters in question. I enclose revised texts with this
letter. Amended passages are sidelined.
I think you will find that, out of 32 proposed changes, I
have accepted 25, i.e.some 78%. There remain a small number of cases
where I have not been able to make the changes you sought, or have not
been able to go the whole of the way. I set these out below, together
with explanatory comment:
Chapter 23, page 15. I have picked up your language about new men
and tactics. But I cannot omit the reference to confrontation. It is a
historical fact that confrontation with China occurred, also that
there was a striking difference in Sino-British relations pre and
post October 1992.
Chapter 24, page 6. This is a self-generated change, to meet the
criticism that the mandarins' idea of negotiation was to inquire what
the Chinese wanted and deliver, with suitable obeisances.
Chapter 24, page 7. I have corrected the suggestion that we
deliberately sought the course of confrontation. But the fact is
that, for whatever reason, we found ourselves in a situation where we
were trying new approaches and probing the limits of Chinese
tolerance.
Chapter 24, page 8. I have retained the phrase "if need be in
disregard of their understanding" because the Governor kept the
option of putting the matter to Legco for decision if a satisfactory
answer could not be obtained from the Chinese.
Chapter 24, page 11. I keep the reference to a "drawing back on
both sides", because the Governor did not go ahead with the
threatened legislation. He gazetted but did not go further. By the
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.