TNAG-2732-FCO40-3938-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1993 — Page 14

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MDLIAN 4 36.

BUSH HAD WON AND WITH BAKER'S BACKING, OUR POSITION WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER BY BRINGING TO BEAR THE IMMENSE PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURES OF THE USA. IF CLINTON STOOD BY US, WE MIGHT HAVE SOME CLOUT. BUT THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION WAS TYPIFIED BY QUOTE ZANINESS UNQUOTE. IN HIS VIEW, CLINTON HAD ENOUGH ARGUMENTS ALREADY WITH CHINA: WAS IT WISE FOR HIM TO DILUTE HIS CASE ON THESE BY ADOPTING HONG KONG (LEE HINTED THAT HE MIGHT HAVE PUT SUCH VIEWS TO US ASSISTANT UNDER SECRETARY WINSTON LORD).

5.

LEE SAID THAT HE DID NOT HOLD ANY BRIEF FOR THE CHINESE. HIS ONLY CONCERN WAS THAT THE DISAGREEMENT SHOULD NOT LEAD TO A CLASH BETWEEN CHINA AND THE USA, AFFECTING THE WHOLE OF ASIA. HE DID NOT WANT TO BE MISUNDERSTOOD. HE HAD HAD TO SAY WHAT HE HAD, (BY IMPLICATION, HIS SPEECH IN HONG KONG IN DECEMBER), TO MAKE CLEAR THAT HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH BRITISH POLICY AND THAT HE WAS NOT A PARTY TO IT, PARTICULARLY WHEN HE SAW OUR TAKING THIS DOWN TO A

COLLISION WITH CHINA.

6.

MR RIFKIND STRESSED THAT OUR OBJECTIVE WAS NOT TO MAKE MISCHIEF

BUT TO ENSURE AN HONOURABLE DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG, FULFILLING OUR OBLIGATIONS AND AVOIDING A DISHONOURABLE EXIT. MR RIFKIND THOUGHT THAT THE GOVERNOR HAD THE SUPPORT OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN HONG KONG.

·

7 LEE WONDERED HOW THIS MIGHT BE TESTED. THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DISPUTE WAS ALL ABOUT: THEY WOULD PREFER TO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH CHINA TO THE END OF TIME. PUBLIC OPINION, EVEN IN SOPHISTICATED POPULATIONS LIKE BRITAIN AND FRANCE, WAS FRANTIC, VOLATILE AND OFTEN UNPREDICTABLE. HONG KONG HAD NEVER HAD ITS OPINION TAKEN SERIOUSLY (GOVERNORS HAD GOVERNED) AND HAD NEVER UNDERSTOOD THE MEANING OF MAJORITY OPINION. THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG WERE QUOTE INTIMIDATABLE UNQUOTE AND CHINA KNEW THIS.

8.

MR RIFKIND SAID THAT WE WERE SEEKING TO BUILD IN SOME LEGAL GUARANTEES FOR VARIOUS FREEDOMS E.G. FROM ARBITRARY ARREST AND TO TRAVEL. CHINA WAS SENSITIVE TO CERTAIN EXTERNAL FACTORS AND WOULD

FIND THESE MORE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE AND WOULD HESITATE IN PARTICULAR IF IT WERE TO ANTAGONISE THE UNITED STATES. LEE SAID WE WERE TRYING TO BUILD IN MECHANISMS TO WARD OFF CHINA AND DESCRIBED THIS AS AN QUOTE EXERCISE IN FUTILITY UNQUOTE. CHINA DID NOT UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS SUCH AS THE RULE OF LAW THEY GOVERNED BY EDICT. HONG KONG HAD NO SENSE OF ITS COLLECTIVE INTERESTS: SUCCESSIVE GOVERNORS HAD TOLD HIM IN APOLOGETIC TERMS WHY THEY

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