TNAG-2716-FCO40-3922-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-enquiry-1993 — Page 55

Lord Shawcross GBE QC 60 Victoria Embankment

LONDON

EC4Y 0JP

HKCC ORLE

RECEIVED IN PEADORY

DESK OFFICER INDEX

1000

Foreign & Commonwealth

Office

London SW1A 2AH

From The Minister of State

4

February 1993

Mr Parte pa. На важе

سفال

Sea for Shaw con

Лоа

Thank you for your letter of 28 January.

I think we shall have to agree to differ on whether it would have been better to hold consultations with the Chinese before the Governor made the proposals public. I will only observe that recent experience with the course you advocate has not been particularly promising. On the Court of Final Appeal we negotiated an agreement with the Chinese only to have it rejected by the Hong Kong Legislature. On the New Airport we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese after long negotiations, but the Chinese have been very obstructive in its implementation, and there is still no agreement on financing the

Airport.

As I have said before the Governor's proposals are just that proposals and certainly not "concluded proposals". We have made clear that we would welcome counter-proposals and indeed there have been many. There have been some indications that the Chinese are taking a more moderate line in public. We have told them repeatedly, on every occasion, that we are ready for any aspect of the proposals, without preconditions. We are serious about that. we have not yet had a response.

discussions on

Your

da,

sincerely

But, disappointingly,

Chaker of Wallasey

BARONESS CHALKER OF WALLASEY

12