TNAG-2991-FCO40-3566-Future-of-Hong-Kong-constitutional-development-1992 — Page 145

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CONFIDENTIAL

Whizozzle

27 APR 1992

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Sir John Coles

9 April 1992

PS

PS/Lord Caithness PS/PUS

Mr Crowe

Mr Broadbent

Mr Ricketts, HKD

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Mr Cox, HKD

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Mr Burns

14/10

HONG KONG:

1.

CONSTITUTIONAL AND JLG QUESTIONS

70

Your valuable minute of 8 April contains much food for

thought.

2.

My main reaction is that on one or two key matters we need to do some intensive thinking pretty quickly so that we are in a position to advise Ministers of an incoming government.

We are at present able to describe the problems but are short on the solutions we should advise Ministers to adopt.

3.

You point (para 2) to the need for procedures to ensure that the Hong Kong Government can obtain approval of its budget and can get legislation adopted. The HKG has concluded (para 10) that it should, in effect, ally itself with the unelected Conservatives. Shall we advise Ministers accordingly?

4.

The issue of "more democracy" could be with us quite quickly not because of immediate timetable constraints but because a new Government might be challenged early on to state its view (and a new Labour Foreign Secretary would go to Hong Kong soon to sound out opinion). Again, what will our advice be?

APRABC

CONFIDENTIAL