TNAG-2709-FCO40-3915-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-and-Par-1993 — Page 50

EXMENT PARSE HONG Numb.

1. PHE

RESTRICTED

2 -

for me,

course,

20 Leflec

I the Chinese side. But Let me spell out

wie wiech. the British side has been prepared Le

taik, so the womunun. ty cal

behaved

AP3

for itself that we

have

reasonably and sincerely 13

these discussions.

First, we have said to the Chinese side that

talk on

the basis of the Joint

we

are prepared to Declaration, the principle of convergence with the Basic Law and the relevant understandings and agreements reached between Britain and China. We consider our

proposals to be wholly compatible with these.

Secondly, we made plain that in any talks the British team would include the necessary Hong Kong officials with the relevant knowledge and experience, the game basis as other officials taking part in the

talkg. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have made this point publicly in the last 48 hours. Hong Kong officials have participated in past discussions with the Chinese side as members of the British team, including during the negotiations on the Joint Declaration and in the Joint Liaison Group.

on

We have also said to the Chinese side that Sir

Robin McLaren, the British Ambassador to China, would be

the British representative, supported by a team consisting of Michael Sze, the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, William Ehrman, the Political Adviser, Peter Lai, the Deputy Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, and Peter Ricketts, Head of

the

Hong Kong Department in the Foreign and Commonwealth office. There would be no distinction between memberg

of the team from Hong Kong and from London.

إذا