Mr Robert Adley, M.P.
House of Commons
London SW1A OAA
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Thank you for your letter of 14 April about our negotiations with the Chinese over Hong Kong.
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that we sd. not indulge in
As you say there is little point in our having a semantic debate, but there is one point/ which I would wish to make. your letter you repeatedly suggest that we have broken with the 'agreed procedure' for reaching an agreement with the
Chinese. This is not so. The Joint Declaration commits the
two Governments to cooperating during the transition period
before 1997. It establishes the Joint Liaison Group as one means of doing this, but it is not the only way it can be done. In the past we have used a variety of mechanisms
including discussions between the Governor of Hong Kong and his Chinese opposite number.
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What the Governor said in his 7 October speech to
not an attempt to by-pass discussions with the Chinese.
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But
his proposals specifically said that such discussions were necessary,
just he felt it was proper to inform the people of Hong Kong what that:
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it was he hoped to achieve. I am pleased that those
then ty on coed discussions are now underway. We intend that they should be
successful.
Finally,
Incidentally I am surprised that you are opposed to a meeting between the Governor and President Clinton. The Governor's purpose in that meeting would be to recommend unconditional renewal of MFN status for china),
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interests.
patter
Douglas Hurd
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