TNAG-2709-FCO40-3915-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-and-Par-1993 — Page 107

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ph. Rels cr. Part.

Sectory 281.ate

From: CO Hum

Date: 25 March 1993

CC:

RECEIVED IN REGISTRY

Minister

PS/Mr Goodlad

DESK OFFICER INDEX

PA

REGISTRY Action Taken

Sir J Coles

Mr Ricketts, HKD Mr Davies, FED

Ps

Ang 20.13

58

26/3

Private Secretary

HONG KONG: MR ROBENT

1.

ME

As agreed by Ministers, I took up Mr Adley's suggestion that we should have a talk on Hong Kong. What he had to say was entirely predictable.

His main

theme was that British policy on Hong Kong failed to take into account adequately the understandable Chinese obssession with the resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong. He regarded it as entirely justifiable that the Chinese should be vehemently opposed to Mr Patten's proposals, and should refuse to discuss them with us except in a forum which down-graded Hong Kong representation. In response I explained the background to our policy and emphasised our support for what Mr Patten was seeking to do.

Mr Adley made only two specific points which needed to be recorded:

2.

(i)

(ii)

he had just come from a long discussion with Ambassador Ma about possible ways of re-establishing discussion between Britain and China on the Governor's constitutional proposals. Mr Adley's contribution to this process had been to propose that the Chinese Foreign Minister should invite the Secretary of State and the Governor to pay an early visit to Peking together. Ambassador Ma had looked doubtful;

he and a number of other MPs who shared his views were seriously considering asking for a call on the Prime Minister in the next few days to explain their anxieties.

сат

CO Hum

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