TNAG-2750-FCO40-3965-Most-favoured-nation-status-for-China-Hong-Kong-interests-1993 — Page 52

CONFIDENTIAL

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MDHIAN 1649

HKB 091/1

RECEIVED IN

TRY

CONFIDENTIAL

25 MAY

FM HONG KONG

peer

TO DESKBY 20103OZ FCO

TOP COPY Q DIST?

TELNO 810

OF 20093OZ MAY 93

INFO IMMEDIATE WASHINGTON

YOUR TELNO 485: YOUR VISIT TO NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON, 21 MAY:

CHINA MEN.

1. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT. SIR R MCLAREN AND RICKETTS (VISITING) WERE ALSO ABLE TO LOOK BRIEFLY AT THE POINTS

TO MAKE. THE FOLLOWING REFLECTS THEIR VIEWS AS WELL AS OURS.

2.

TO OPEN BY RECOGNISING THE INEVITABILITY OF CONDITIONS ON MFN SEEMS TO US TO BE LEADING WITH THE CHIN. A BETTER APPROACH

MIGHT BE TO REFER BACK TO MY VISIT AND HONG KONG'S ESSENTIAL INTEREST THAT MFN BE CONTINUED. THE SUBSEQUENT POINTS COULD THEN FOCUS PRINCIPALLY ON THE NATURE OF THE (NOW SEEMINGLY INEVITABLE) CONDITIONS, AND OUR HOPE THAT THEY ARE FORMULATED IN A WAY THAT MINIMISES THE THREAT TO RENEWAL IN 1994.

3.

THE MEETING MAY ALSO BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO UPDATE CHRISTOPHER ON OUR APPROACH TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS WITH THE CHINESE. I IMAGINE HE MAY ASK ABOUT THIS HIMSELF.

4

W

A SUGGESTED REVISION OF THE POINTS TO MAKE, LARGELY REFLECTING THESE CONSIDERATIONS, IS IN MIFT.

5. WITH REGARD TO THE BACKGROUND NOTE. 60,000 HONG KONG JOBS IN PARAGRAPH 3 SHOULD BE 70,000.

PATTEN

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