TNAG-2791-FCO40-4030-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China.-With-maps-1993 — Page 131

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Kong smoothly from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.It was

under these terms that the now famous exchange of letters took

place between the British and Chinese foreign ministers in

January and February 1990 about amending the Basic Law before it

was enacted by the National People's Congress in April 1990.

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By this stage, however, the events of Tiananmen had soured

relations and sapped confidence in Hong Kong. Britain was one of

the Western countries that applied sanctions and it also

postponed the next scheduled meeting of the JLG. Despite his

professed desire for convergence Governor Wilson in keeping with

the feelings of the people in the territory

condemned the

Beijing killings and

and sought to re-establish

confidence in the territory in several ways including encouraging

1- Heure London to extend the right of abode to significantly more Hong

Kong British passport holders; by introducing a bill of rights;

and by developing the huge new airport project that had already

been recognized as necessary for Hong Kong's long term viability.

The Chinese side was angered by these developments as it claimed

that its actions in Tiananmen were a necessary reaction against

counter-revolutionaries aided and abetted by external forces,

some of whom were to be found in Hong Kong. It promptly added a

clause in the Basic Law against subversion. Although all the

British schemes to enhance confidence were denounced by the

Chinese side, most, such as the bill of rights and the offer of

passports to 50,000 personnel deemed important to the viability

of the territory could be carried out unilaterally. The big

exception was the airport project.